| On the
final day of testing at the Paul Ricard circuit BMW WilliamsF1 driver Juan
Pablo Montoya would set the fast time of the day ahead of McLaren test
driver Alex Wurz, who was driving the new McLaren MP4-18.
The teams would use the longer
version of the circuit on this final day, as such no comparison could be
made with earlier times. For Juan Pablo he would set a time of 1m:32.307.
This was more than a second faster than Wurz.
For Juan Pablo his day would focus on tyre testing and the general set-up of
his car. Using the longer circuit the team was able to do some some
aerodynamics testing in preparation for the Canadian GP and tried several
wing settings. Juan Pablo would complete sixty nine laps.
Team-mate Marc Gené would complete sixty five laps with a a personal best of
1m:34.059. Like his team mate his day focused on the set-up of his car and
he tested different tyre compounds.
In summary the four days of
testing for the team focused on tyre evaluation and general set up work of
the FW25 in preparation for the Monaco Grand Prix. Additional testing was
carried out on the aerodynamic package and the suspension.
WilliamsF1 Chief Operations Engineer Sam Michael commented on the four days
of testing: "The test at Paul Ricard this week with Juan and Marc proved
very productive. Both concentrated on tyre testing in preparation for Monaco
and we are pleased to have found two new compounds that work well on our
car. We also successfully completed a race simulation, as well as carrying
out some aero and suspension testing."
Dr Mario Theissen, BMW Motorsport Director, added his views: "The primary
focus for the team during this test was chassis development work and tyre
testing in preparation for the next two races; Monaco and Montreal. On the
last day, the cars ran on the longer track which better reflects the
conditions at Montreal. We are encouraged by the progress we have made which
we hope will be reflected in a good performance in Monte Carlo." |
