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Following mixed fortunes
for the team at the season opener in Melbourne last weekend, the BMW
WilliamsF1 Team are now looking ahead to the second round of the 2004
FIA Formula One World Championship during which they hope to achieve a
more rewarding result at Malaysia's Sepang circuit on Sunday 21st March.
Located south of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia's cosmopolitan capital, the
Sepang circuit is a state of the art, purpose-built facility, one which
guarantees drama both on and off the track. Each 5.543 kilometre lap of
the 56 lap race is complex to the extreme. A low grip but smooth track,
Sepang demands high downforce in the set-up. With speeds reaching 200mph
on the two fastest straights and falling to as low as 50mph through the
tight, twisting corners, Sepang is a technically challenging circuit for
both man and machine. However, with overtaking opportunities at an
optimum for a Formula One track, next weekend's race will provide a
perfect stage for the drivers and a thrilling spectacle for the fans.
Climatic conditions will undoubtedly play a part in the outcome of the
2004 Malaysian Grand Prix. Renowned for its unpredictable weather,
Malaysia's uncomfortably high humidity levels carry the constant threat
of monsoon-style downpours. However, Sepang's equatorial location also
ensures acute temperatures which should suit the Michelin-shod runners
and therefore provide the BMW WilliamsF1 Team a favourable platform for
a successful weekend.
Ralf Schumacher:
"The season opener in Melbourne clearly demonstrated that there is still
quite a lot of work ahead of us if we want to fight for the World
Championship this year. Even if we can't close the gap to Ferrari
straight away, we must do better in Malaysia. The car and the Michelin
tyres are better suited to Sepang and Malaysia's hot weather, but we
can't rely on this alone.
From the physical perspective, I feel well prepared for the heat despite
what happened last year. When I was climbing up the field from 17th to
4th place, the device that drives the air into my crash helmet was
ripped off by accident. As a result, the temperature in the helmet was
stiflingly hot, making it hard to drive. Hopefully though, I'll have a
better experience this year."
Juan Pablo Montoya:
"Following our disappointing race in Melbourne last weekend, we
immediately started working on improving the FW26 in order to be
competitive for the next race and close the gap to Ferrari. The hot
temperatures, typical of Malaysia and Bahrain, should be favourable for
our car, so we are hoping that the next two races will be more positive
for us. The BMW engine has been very reliable over winter testing, so we
expect it to be able to tolerate the extreme heat. Similarly, the
Michelin tyres should perform much better in the warmer conditions.
During the winter I have been going to the gym, playing tennis and
riding my bikes to keep fit, so the humidity and the heat that we're
going to face in Malaysia doesn't worry me too much. I only hope my
water bottle doesn't stop working during the race like it did last year!
We should also remember that in 2002 we achieved the BMW WilliamsF1
Team's first ever one-two victory in Sepang."
Sam Michael WilliamsF1 Chief Operations Engineer:
"Malaysia will be a lot hotter than Australia, but there is always the
risk of the daily tropical thunderstorms that are so common to the area.
Kuala Lumpur is a challenging, high downforce circuit for the drivers
with several changes of direction through the medium and high speed
corners. There are also three slow speed corners to negotiate and four
straight sections which reward engine power. There is also considerable
scope for overtaking at Sepang with three opportunities over the course
of a lap.
Since Melbourne, we have made some developments to the car which will
hopefully improve our performance in Malaysia. We have already devised a
tentative pit-stop strategy from which we will elect which of Michelin's
two tyre compounds we will run. With the new regulations, strategy has
really changed since last season and is now a fine balance of risk
versus gain when determining when to bring the drivers in for the first
pit-stop of the race.
We are lying second in the Constructors' Championship, with nine points,
heading to the Malaysian Grand Prix, and are therefore looking to build
on this with a strong result."
Dr Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Director):
"Malaysia will be the first truly hot race of the season which will
give us a better understanding of the true competitiveness of this
year's grid. Although we don't mind the heat, we would prefer to race
without the threat of heavy downpours for which Malaysia is well known.
One outcome of the new regulations is that engine use is being
controlled to suit certain situations far more than in previous years.
In other words, during qualifying and certain race situations, the
engines are being run flat out, whereas in free practice and other
phases of the race, the aim is to conserve the power unit.
There are various ways of doing this. One way is to cut down on the
distance covered during practice, but that is not our preferred
approach. Our drivers and engineers make full use of the free practice
sessions for set-up evaluations and tyre selections. Another opportunity
for conserving the engine is to modify the gear selection parameters,
which is sensible in certain situations. For example, when choosing
tyres on Friday, it doesn't make any difference whether you change gear
500 revs earlier or later so this is the perfect time to preserve the
engine.
To deal with the higher temperatures in Malaysia, we will probably see
additional or larger air-cooling intakes and exhaust extraction vents.
These apply to the air intakes in the side-pods and the two vents in the
exhaust manifold."
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