WilliamsF1 Team Reactions Friday Practice

By WilliamsF1 Team
May 5 2006

Reactions ... European GP Friday Practice

Mark Webber: FW28 05 CA2006/024, 2nd GP 1st Session: No Time 2nd Session: 1:34.825, (16th), 14 laps "The pace is obviously there, we look okay here, but I am not happy with the car at the moment, so we have some more work to do tonight on the balance of the car and the tyre comparisons and get ourselves ready for tomorrow."

Nico Rosberg: FFW28 06 CA2006/029, 2nd GP 1st Session: No Time 2nd Session: 1:34.215, (11th), 19 laps "Today went quite alright. I put more laps than usual under my belt, and even if I know this track very well, having extra running time is helpful as driving here in a Formula One car is very different to my previous experience on this track. We have learnt several things from Alex and all three of us have tried a few variables on the set-up, which proved positive."

Alex Wurz: FW28 04 CA2006/027 1st Session: 1:32.079, (1st) 20 laps 2nd Session:  1:32.675, (1st), 27 laps "This morning it was quite slippery and very dusty, resulting in low grip levels, but the circuit conditions improved and changed rapidly throughout the whole two sessions, which makes the setup work quite difficult. Nevertheless, the more rubber went down, the better our package functioned, so I think that will play into our hands. I was pleased with my performance, especially with the first lap of the long runs, where I was really quick, and in the end I was the fastest overall! With regard to tyres, I am happy with the choice we have brought here from testing, but the better the choice to bring to the race weekend, the more difficult it is now to choose between the two compounds – it will be a very tight decision."

Simon Corbyn, Head of F1 Race Engineering, Cosworth Ltd: "Alex completed a solid Friday programme with his CA2006 Series 2 engine. He experienced no engine problems and it is good to see the Cosworth-powered Williams top the timesheets again. Mark and Nico also had no issues and completed their programmes as planned."

Sam Michael Chief Operations Engineer WilliamsF1 "Today was productive, working on race set-up and choosing tyres. Alex did his usual job of thoroughly checking the tyre performance of the two Bridgestone's available here. Both look good, so it’ll be a difficult choice for the race. Alex also went through checks of the cooling systems and brakes without any problems. We did more running with Mark and Nico to give them extra track time, which will benefit them by the end of the weekend. Both drivers tried some planned set-up changes, so we’ll pool all that data tonight and look at the direction we should take for the remainder of the weekend. So far everything is going to plan."