Spanish GP - Preview
The BMW WilliamsF1 Team heads to Barcelona next week for the fifth round of the
2005 season, the Spanish Grand Prix. Despite the teams' familiarity with the
circuit as a testing venue, the race at the Circuit de Catalunya is one of the
most demanding on the Formula One calendar. The region's erratic weather
conditions provide a continual challenge to the cars' set-up while prevailing
winds can compromise aerodynamic efficiency.
Having won over one third of the Spanish GPs held at the Catalunya track, the
BMW WilliamsF1 Team is looking forward to drawing upon its experience in
Barcelona next weekend. The team is also hoping that progress at the
Silverstone test this week, combined with further aero developments for the
cars, will provide a solid foundation to help drive the FW27s to a successful
result.
Mark Webber:
We do a huge amount of testing at Barcelona throughout the year so all the
teams know the venue particularly well. I like the track and so really hope
we'll be able to collect some good points there. I think there's going to be a
special atmosphere at the Spanish Grand Prix this year because Fernando Alonso
is leading the Championship. It's fantastic for Formula One to see so many
people so passionate about this sport in that part of the world!
Nick Heidfeld:
I am looking forward to racing in Barcelona. It's a very technical circuit and
it's quite difficult to drive there, but everybody, the teams and the drivers,
know it very well as we do a lot of testing there. They laid new tarmac over
the winter which changed the circuit quite a lot so it will be very different
from last year, especially as far as the tyres are concerned. Still, I think we
should be in reasonable shape.
Sam Michael (Technical Director, WilliamsF1):
We spent this week testing at Silverstone circuit and made progress on set-up
and tyres in wet and dry conditions. We also spent a lot of the time working on
our starts. It's often hard to find a good balance on the car in Barcelona and,
with the changeable conditions, the set-up continually evolves. Due to
re-surfacing in January, the track has changed causing the circuit to be less
demanding on tyres. Not as much testing is done at Barcelona as it used to be,
but it is still more than the normal race tracks where you don't test at all.
We will have some further aerodynamic improvements on the cars since the last
GP, mainly around the front of the car, and Michelin have two good compounds
that we have tested. All of these steps should help us to move the FW27 further
up the grid. Qualifying and the start are the most important things to get
right. Strategy will be interesting as well because overtaking is so difficult
on this track.
Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Director):
The longest flat out section of the Circuit de Catalunya measures 982 metres.
You therefore need every last drop of power, although aerodynamics and drag
also play a role in determining top speed. On the whole, the load on the engine
is fairly average in Barcelona, with the full throttle ratio standing at 51
percent per lap.
It will be Mark Webber's turn to run with a new engine at the Spanish Grand
Prix, while Nick Heidfeld will continue with the BMW P84/5 he used in Imola.
Since the introduction of the current regulation stipulating that the teams'
engines each have to last for two GP weekends, some key data has become more
stable. As a general rule, we have been reducing maximum revs by 1,000 rpm for
free practice on Friday. The evidence suggests that this does not have any
noticeable effect on tyre choice.
During the race, however, we can call on maximum engine output at any time and
make decisions according to the situation in hand. In simple terms, this means
that it is not worth pushing an engine to the limit if the driver is stuck in
traffic. This allows us to preserve the engine's reserves of power for
situations where there is greater potential for success. Generally speaking,
the peak output of one of these engines will diminish during its service life.
However, this loss of power is only in the region of ten bhp, and therefore not
serious enough to affect the outcome of a race.
We are delighted to see the huge increase in interest in Formula One among the
Spanish public, due primarily to the success of Fernando Alonso. The organisers
report that all 115,000 tickets have been sold for the race Sunday.
Stats and facts:
Circuit/Date: Circuit de Catalunya / 8th May 2005
Start time (local/GMT): 14:00 hrs/12:00 hrs
Lap/Race distance: 4.627 km/305.256 km (66 laps)
Winner 2004: Michael Schumacher (Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro)
Pole 2004:
Michael Schumacher (Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro), 1hr 15.022 min
Lap record:
Michael Schumacher (Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro), 1hr 17.450 min (2004)
F1 statistics:
BMW WilliamsF1 Team: 89 starts, 10 wins, 16 poles
WilliamsF1 before 2000: 356 starts, 103 wins, 108 poles
BMW before 2000: 97 starts, 9 wins, 15 poles
Formula BMW driving lesson and tennis tournament for a good cause:
On the Wednesday prior to the Spanish GP (4th May), tennis aces Arantxa
Sanchez-Vicario (33, Spain, 13 Grand Slam victories) and RBS ambassador, Andrew
Murray (17, Scotland), will be given a driving lesson by Nick Heidfeld in a
Formula BMW car on the Valencia circuit between 13.00 and 14.00 hrs.
On Thursday (5th May) the roles will be reversed at a tennis tournament in aid
of the Northampton Intensive Care Unit. From 09.00 to 12.00 hrs, at the Open
Club Sanchez-Casal in Barcelona, Sanchez-Vicario and Murray will be challenging
BMW WilliamsF1 Team drivers Heidfeld and Webber, as well as Marc Gené,
Giancarlo Fisichella, Christian Klien, Felipe Massa, Jacques Villeneuve and
Alexander Wurz on the court.
Journalists are welcome to attend both events. Photos will be available for
download on the afternoon of each day at www.press.bmw.com. TV footage can be
obtained through the team's media contacts (see Media contact).
History and background:
WilliamsF1 has a total of six Spanish Grand Prix wins on record. The first was
taken by Nigel Mansell (GBR) at Jerez in 1987, the most recent by Jacques
Villeneuve (CDN) on the Circuit de Catalunya ten years later.
The first race on a wet Circuit de Catalunya was on 29th September 1991, won by
Mansell in a Williams Renault.
Since the official inauguration of Formula One in 1950, Spain has played host
to 34 Grands Prix. The first two Spanish GPs were held in Pedralbes. Subsequent
venues were Jarama (9), Montjuich (4) and Jerez (5). Since 1991, Formula One
has been staged each year at the Circuit de Catalunya to the north of
Barcelona. 2005 marks the 15th Spanish GP to be held there.
The city of Barcelona (population approx. 1.8 million) lies in the northeast of
Spain. The economic and cultural hub of Catalonia, it is also home to several
universities and higher education institutes and boasts numerous museums and
cultural monuments. One of the city's most renowned sons is the art nouveau
architect Antonio Gaudí (1852-1926), whose works include the still unfinished
Church of the Sagrada Familia.