Spanish GP - Preview

The BMW WilliamsF1 Team will travel to Barcelona next week, home of the Spanish
Grand Prix, and the fifth round of the 2004 FIA Formula One World Championship.
Despite being one of the primary testing venues for the teams, the 4.6 metre
circuit provides the backdrop for one of the more challenging races on the
calendar. The fickle climate often demands continual set-up changes while the
prevailing wind conditions can compromise aerodynamic efficiency.

Having spent the week testing new developments at Silverstone this week, the
team are looking forward to the 14th Spanish Grand Prix and re-claiming ground
lost in the first four races. Historically, WilliamsF1 have enjoyed good
fortune at the Spanish track, having won five out of the thirteen Grands Prix
hosted by Catalunya since 1991. Following the formation of the Anglo-German
alliance in 2000, the BMW WilliamsF1 Team have enjoyed moderate success in
Spain, with Montoya's 2nd places in 2001 and 2002, and are now looking to
improve on that success and close the gap to their competitors.

Juan Pablo Montoya:
Most of the teams spend a lot of time testing at the Barcelona track so the
drivers know the circuit like the back of their hand. We are certainly one of
those teams, having completed thirteen test days already there this year and
covered a total of 10,363 kilometres. Although we regularly run at Barcelona, I
wouldn't consider it one of my favourite circuits as it doesn't really suit my
driving style. However, I seem to have scored consistently at the Spanish Grand
Prix having achieved two second places and one fourth place in the past three
years with the team. I also secured an F3000 victory there in 1998, but that
was quite a long time ago now!

After a fairly disappointing San Marino Grand Prix, I have been trying to relax
in order to regain my focus. I've been doing some training but have combined
this with golf. The Spanish Grand Prix weekend will start slightly earlier than
usual for me, and for some of the other drivers, as we will be playing in a
charity tennis match near Barcelona on Thursday morning. I'm hoping this will
give me a further boost in preparation for my on-track duties.

Ralf Schumacher:
Even though we couldn't complete the whole of the scheduled test programme due
to the bad weather at Silverstone this week, every single member of the team
certainly has the enthusiasm and motivation to improve upon our performance. We
tested in Barcelona quite a lot over the winter period so we should be well
prepared for the Spanish Grand Prix weekend. I don't think miracles should be
expected, but it's clear we are able to fight for podium positions, like we did
in Imola, and collecting as many points as possible is the most important thing.

Sam Michael (Chief Operations Engineer, WilliamsF1):
The team has spent this week testing at Silverstone and has made good progress
on set-ups and tyre development under both wet and dry conditions.

Barcelona is a challenging circuit for the drivers and engineers to find a well
balanced set-up. We obviously spend a lot of time here during winter testing
but the changeable conditions mean that you are still experimenting with the
set-up during the actual race weekend. With four high speed corners, the tyres
need to be harder than usual to cope with the high levels of degradation. A
large emphasis is therefore placed on aerodynamic efficiency.

We have made further improvements to the cars since the last Grand Prix, both
mechanical and aerodynamic, while Michelin have two good tyre compounds that we
have been testing. Combined, these steps should help us in our efforts to
return to the front of the field where we obviously want to be competing.

With the new rules introduced this year, qualifying and strategy go hand in
hand. As overtaking is so difficult in Barcelona, it's even more important to
hook up a good qualifying lap, find the perfect strategy and get the race start
right.

Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Director):
The BMW P84 engine successfully passed another endurance test over the San
Marino Grand Prix weekend, most notably in the final laps of the race when Juan
Pablo achieved rpm levels on a par with those achieved during qualifying, which
enabled him to defend himself against Fernando Alonso's attack. This
achievement has underlined the value of the work we've carried out over the
last few weeks. Our on-going development effort in Munich is focused on
achieving maximum revs and output in the second half of the engine's
800-kilometre lifespan, i.e. during the race. We're working on achieving this
even whilst in seventh gear, which on some circuits is engaged for more than
five seconds at maximum revs. In the past, it was customary to make the top
gear longer, by 500 to 1,000 rpm, in order to reduce this continuous load.

Our recent development strategy is primarily directed at those components which
have to sustain high thermal and mechanical loads. We have subsequently
developed significant expertise in both design, aided by computer simulation,
and in high-precision manufacturing, an advance which stands us in good stead
for the single engine rule. For BMW, the Formula One project has once again
proved to be an effective foundation as these insights are now filtering into
the development of production engines.

Demand on the engine at Barcelona is average, with a moderate proportion of the
lap taken at full throttle. With an 880 metre start/finish straight though,
every extra bit of horsepower pays dividends. The BMW WilliamsF1 Team clearly
has a significant gap to close to the competition but we will leave no stone
unturned in our efforts to achieve this.

Stats and facts:
- The city of Barcelona, situated in the northeast of Spain, has a population
of approximately 1.8 million. It is the economic and cultural centre of
Catalunya, boasting several universities and institutes of higher education, as
well as numerous museums and cultural monuments. One of the city's most famous
sons is the architect Antoni Gaudí who bequeathed to his city, among other
works, the incomplete Sagrada Familia Cathedral.

- A total of 33 Grands Prix have been held in Spain since the Championship's
inception in 1951. The first two Spanish Grands Prix were staged in Pedralbes.
Subsequent venues include Jarama (9), Montjuich (4) and Jerez (5). Since 1991,
Formula One has been staged on the Circuit de Catalunya, which lies to the
north of Barcelona. 2004 will mark the city's 14th Spanish Grand Prix.

- Nigel Mansell (GBR), driving a Williams Renault, won the first race held at
the Circuit de Catalunya, on 29th September 1991.

- In total, WilliamsF1 has won six Spanish Grands Prix. Mansell secured the
team's first victory on Spanish soil at Jerez in 1987. The most recent victory
was claimed ten years later by Jacques Villeneuve (CDN) on the Circuit de
Catalunya.

- After a difficult qualifying in 2003 (Schumacher secured seventh place on the
grid while Montoya could only manage ninth), the race itself brought better
fortunes with the Colombian crossing the line in fourth place followed by team
mate, Ralf, in fifth.

- Michael Schumacher (Ferrari) won last year's Spanish Grand Prix, ahead of
local hero Fernando Alonso in the Renault.

- Michael Schumacher claimed pole position in 2003 with a time of 1:17.762
minutes, while his team-mate, Rubens Barrichello, set a new lap record during
the race with a time of 1:20.143 minutes.

- The circuit has undergone modifications since last year's event. Turn 8, a
left-hand corner towards the end of the back straight, has been moved back to
accommodate a longer run-off. The tighter design of the corner, combined with
its earlier braking point, should allow for an additional passing opportunity.
This modification reduced the length of the track from 4.730 to 4.627
kilometres.

- The 2004 Spanish Grand Prix starts at 14.00 hrs local time on Sunday 9th May.
The Grand Prix will comprise 66 laps which equates to a race distance of
305.256 kilometres.

- INVITATION: Frank Williams and Patrick Head will be attending the Allianz
Media Services launch, which will take place on Saturday 8th May at 18.45 hrs
in the Paddock Club. All accredited media are invited. Please see Silvia Hoffer
(WilliamsF1 Press Officer) or Peter Phillips (Allianz Account Manager) for
accreditation.