Wet weather hinders WilliamsF1 test

By Andrew Hooper
February 20 2003


	Barcelona Test 19:02:2003 Day Two of Four

	Wet weather would hinder the second day of testing for the BMW WilliamsF1 team at the Barcelona circuit. The circuit would remain wet all day, with cold temperatures also present. But despite this the WilliamsF1 drivers would continue with their test program, and at the end of the day Ralf and Juan Pablo would have set the two fastest times of the day with Ralf faster. For Ralf he would set the fastest lap of the day with a time of 1m:31.567, completing fifty five laps during the day. This would be the highest number for any driver present at the circuit. The team had originally planned to conduct endurance tests with a race simulation planned but this was not to be and Ralf continued to focus on setup work with the new FW25 and tyre testing. For Juan Pablo he would set a time of 1m:31.935, completing forty three laps. He would finish half a second ahead of third placed Jordan driver Giancarlo Fisichella. Also Juan Pablo would also set the top speed of the day with 283 km/h. Joining Ralf and Juan Pablo was Marc Gene who continued testing with the older FW24, completing thirty five laps, with a best lap time of 1m:34.190. WilliamsF1 Test Team Manager Tim Newton commented on the days testing: “Today we had torrid weather conditions with non-stop rain all day. There were lots of delays as the wet track caused red flags on the circuit as many cars were sliding off into the gravel. We were running all day again with three cars and three drivers. We were able start a race run with Ralf, yet the constant delays hampered our progress. It was difficult to get down to business with all the interruptions. Juan Pablo and Marc were working with Michelin on a wet tyre development. Tomorrow we will only have two FW25’s running and the weather does not look set to continue. ” The BMW WilliamsF1 team has another two days of testing planned.

	Pos. Driver Team/Engine Time Laps 1.R Schumacher WilliamsF1 BMW 1:31.567 29/55 2. JP Montoya WilliamsF1 BMW 1:31.935 26/43 3. G Fisichella Jordan Ford 1:32.497 17/27 4. F Alonso Renault 1:32.696 9/25 5. R Firman Jordan Ford 1:32.709 48/53 6. M Webber Jaguar Cosworth 1:33.074 39/50 7. O Panis Toyota 1:34.016 20/41 8. J Button B.A.R Honda 1:34.141 28/32 9. M Gene WilliamsF1 BMW 1:34.190 13/35 10. A Pizzonia Jaguar Cosworth 1:35.037 47/48 11. C DaMatta Toyota 1:38.813 47/53 12. J Villeneuve B.A.R Honda 1:39.759 22/26