WilliamsF1 Team Comments: Austrian GP
By Andrew Hooper
May 18 2003
| Austrian GP Race - Team Comments |
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The BMW WilliamsF1 Team
endured a trying day of highs and lows at the Austrian Grand Prix after
Juan Pablo Montoya retired from the lead of the race on lap 32, while Ralf
Schumacher improved on a difficult grid position of tenth to finish in
sixth place, promoting the team to third equal in the Constructors'
Championship. The BMW WilliamsF1 team will conduct their next test at Le Castellet Test: 20-23 May, Juan Pablo Montoya and Marc Gené all days |
Juan Pablo Montoya "The
guys did a great job all weekend, and I'm not angry, what happened was
just racing. Right from the start we were looking really good and
everything was working to plan. Even when some drizzle came I was catching
Michael at a rate of two seconds a lap, which I think clearly shows that
the FW25 has potential, the team is going in the right direction and the
Michelins are working well. Then I started losing water pressure and I
knew the race was over. A shame, but at least we know we have the
potential to win."
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Ralf
Schumacher "After
a difficult weekend I have three points in my pocket, which is some
compensation. I made a few mistakes, but I managed to recover some of the
lost ground. The main problem I had in the race was with the balance of
the car with the third set of tyres and in particular the fronts which
were graining badly. Otherwise the car was okay and I think the team has
demonstrated that it has raised its performance."
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Dr Mario Theissen BMW
Motorsports Director "Of
course it's disappointing if you retire from the lead of a race. Juan
Pablo could have won this eventful race. We were aware at the start that a
regulation standard valve which limits water pressure was not operating
correctly. The cooling system continuously lost water, and obviously even
without water the best engine cannot survive. Ralf improved progressively
from tenth position and had fourth place within his reach, but his third
set of tyres made the car difficult to control, and he dropped back to
sixth place. In summary, a disappointing result, but clearly improving
performance."
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Sam Michael
Chief Operations Engineer WilliamsF1 "It
is a shame that we had a water leak with Juan's engine, otherwise he
looked strong, he had a lot of fuel on board and he could have won the
race today. The chassis and the tyres were working well together. Ralf
started from further back, but none the less managed to claim three
important constructors' points. In summary the team is looking forward to
Monaco, the car is definitely improving and we must now translate this
potential into results."
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