Spanish GP - PREVIEW
The 4.73km Catalonian home of the Spanish Grand Prix provides the setting for
one of the more testing races of the Formula One season. Despite being the
primary testing venue for most teams, it is a track that demands continual
revision of set-up due to the changing weather and particularly, prevailing
wind conditions on the exposed circuit that can affect the consistency of
aerodynamic performance.
Notwithstanding the challenge Barcelona presents, WilliamsF1 has enjoyed good
fortunes since the race moved to the Circuit de Catalunya in 1991. In eleven
races they have claimed five wins, complemented by three visits to the second
or third step of the podium. Since the start of the partnership between
WilliamsF1 and BMW, the team's most successful result in Spain was last
season's performance when Juan Pablo Montoya claimed second place when a
fortunate Michael Schumacher was victorious after Mika Hakkinen's late
retirement.
Ralf Schumacher:
Even though I would have really enjoyed winning at Imola last weekend, my
frustration at the outcome was short-lived and my confidence for the next race
is good. At Silverstone we have tested some new bits on the car and I believe
we are now well prepared for Barcelona.
Barcelona is a very difficult track to approach. It shows instantly who is good
and who is not. We were quite competitive in the early season test, but we now
need to improve to catch up with the new Ferrari.
Juan Pablo Montoya:
At Barcelona last season I finished my first race in Formula One and claimed my
first points for the BMW WilliamsF1 Team. As a result, I have a very positive
memory of the circuit, especially as it took until my fifth race to get to the
finish and I ended up doing it on a track where we weren't especially
competitive - so let's see how it goes this year.
With the next race at a track where we test at most often after Silverstone, I
know the Circuit de Catalunya quite well. It's not one of my favourite tracks,
in spite of being a quick circuit. But I spend quite a lot of my leisure time
in Spain and I like the country & culture very much, so that makes up for it!
Sam Michael (Chief Operations Engineer, WilliamsF1):
Barcelona is one of the most challenging circuits for the engineers and drivers
to find a well balanced set-up. We obviously spend a lot of time there during
winter testing, but the changeable conditions mean that you are still
experimenting with the set-up during the race weekend. With four high speed
corners, the tyres need to be harder than usual to cope with the high
degradation, and this puts an emphasis on aerodynamic efficiency.
As the last Grand Prix, strategy is usually multi-stop and the race can tend to
be decided by a combination of qualifying and pitstop performance because
overtaking is extremely difficult. Michelin have recently made good progress on
tyre compounds for this type of circuit, so we are looking forward to see how
they perform during a race weekend.
Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Direktor):
With their new car, Ferrari has raised the benchmark and by doing so they have
motivated us even more to push our development programme further. We have
prepared ourselves well for the next race with a two car test at Silverstone
supplemented by work on the dynos in Munich. Even though Barcelona is not one
of the circuits we have especially high hopes for, I regard us as being well
prepared for what is coming later this season.
We are more than happy with the result of the first four races. The fact that
we are fighting Ferrari in the championship is more than we expected. We are
happy to be the most reliable team so far this season. Nobody has recorded more
race laps than our drivers and the only competitive distance we have not
completed this season was as a result of Ralf's accident in Australia. So early
in a season, this degree of reliability is pleasing.
The Race:
The 65 lap/307km race commences at 1400hrs local, 1200hrs UTC and 1300hrs BST.
Typically the race has been run to a two stop strategy, with the first pit
window between laps 20 and 25 and the second from around lap 40.
Last year's pole sitter and victor, Michael Schumacher is the current lap
record holder at 1.21.151. Michael Schumacher's 2001 pole time of 1.18.201is
anticipated to bettered by around 1.4s to 1.16.800, getting close to Jacques
Villeneuve's 1997 record pole of 1.16.525.
Ralf Schumacher #5
DOB: 30/06/75 - Hürth (DEU)
Nationality: German
Residence: Salzburg (AUT)
Marital status: Married to Cora, one son (David)
Height: 1.78 m
Weight: 73 kg
F1 debut: 1997, Melbourne
Poles: 1
Wins: 4
Points (total): 155
Points 2002: 20
Fastest laps: 6
2002 Qualifying/Race
GP Australien: 3rd/accident
GP Malaysia: 4th/1st
GP Brazil: 3rd/2nd
GP San Marino: 3rd/3rd
Juan Pablo Montoya #6
DOB: 20/09/75 - Bogota (COL)
Nationality: Colombian
Residence: Monte Carlo (MCO)
Marital status: Engaged to Connie Freydell
Height: 1.68 m
Weight: 72 kg
F1 debut: 2001, Melbourne
Poles: 4
Wins: 1
Points (total): 48
Points 2002: 17
Fastest laps: 5
2002 Qualifying/Race
GP Australien: 6th/2nd
GP Malaysia: 2nd/2nd
GP Brazil: 1st/5th
GP San Marino: 4th/4th