Spanish Grand Prix - PREVIEW
The Grand Prix teams now head towards Spain for the fifth round of the
Championship and the second in Europe. Although the BMW WilliamsF1 Team knows
it is expected to do well on the strength of the Imola result, it also realises
just how difficult the race will be. Barcelona is a track where the team has
spent many days testing since the end of last season and these days have seen
mixed results. Also this race sees the re-introduction of traction control
after it was banned at the end of the 1993 season.
Ralf Schumacher
"Barcelona is a combination of fast and slow corners so is quite interesting
and demanding. Tyre wear can be a problem there. Last year I finished
fourth and in 1999 fifth, so this shows that normally it is a circuit that
suits me. It is difficult to predict where we are standing, because we had
some very good tests there and then others that were not so promising. We
still have some work to do to improve our traction control. All in all we
just have to wait and see what will happen."
Juan Pablo Montoya
"Barcelona has been a good track for me so far. I have raced there before in
?98 in Formula 3000 and I won. We just have to see what happens now. I
think it will be quite a tough race to be honest. During testing in the
beginning in December and January we were really strong there, but for the last
few tests we have done the car doesn't seem to have been working quite as
well. I am sure when we get there we will figure it out and hopefully be
competitive. It will be quite interesting. For me I am really looking
forward to getting to the end of a race to score some points."
Patrick Head
The WilliamsF1 Technical Director gives an explanation of the new software
changes being introduced in Spain.
"Barcelona sees the new regulations that permit significantly more management
of the engine, gearbox, differential and clutch and this will permit traction
control, which will be conducted by different teams in different ways. They
will be looking to reduce the power of the engine in response to sensed wheel
spin. Some may be using ignition cutting, some may be using ignition retards,
some may be using throttle closure, there are a number of different ways, or a
combination of ways of achieving an end result. It would certainly be very
significant if the qualifying or race are wet, or run on a damp track.
Probably of less importance if the race and qualifying are dry, but certainly
there will be many tracks this year where it will be a deciding factor. As
far as the clutch is concerned people will be using automatic starts, although
the trigger for the starts will need to come from the driver. He will need to
respond to the lights going out and give a command through whatever mechanism
to initiate
the start. The diff control is probably not hugely significant, but it gives
a little more freedom to control the differential to assist the handling of the
car. Being able to fully automate the gearbox probably won't make a great
deal of difference, but will just mean that instead of the driver responding to
lights on the dashboard, telling him when to change gear, it will change up
automatically and change down automatically."
Dr Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Director)
"For Barcelona the major change is the introduction of traction and launch
control. Although Ralf demonstrated in Imola that a manual start can be
perfect, we decided to continue with the development of traction and launch
control. As Patrick explains, different approaches can and will be taken and
it remains to be seen which one is the best. We are all very busy at the
moment and I am not sure if all the teams will have their optimised solutions
ready for Barcelona. Generally we are very satisfied with the introduction of
traction and launch control. The reasons for this are first that all the
rumours about different interpretation of the rules will stop, and second
because BMW has always been a pioneer in automotive electronics. We are very
happy to be able to demonstrate our competence in this field in Formula One as
well."
· The 65-lap Spanish Grand Prix gets underway at Barcelona (Spain) at 14:00
local time (12:00 GMT) on Sunday 29th of April. A total race distance of
307.323km (191 miles) will be covered at the Catalunya Circuit (4.728 km -
2.938 miles) where Giancarlo Fisichella holds the lap record of 1m22.242s
(Jordan Peugeot - 1997). The 2000 race winner was world champion Mika Hakkinen
(McLaren Mercedes).
Ralf Schumacher # 5
Nationality: German
Born: 30 June 1975 / Hürth (Ger)
Marital status: single
Lives: Monte Carlo (MC)
Height: 1,78 m
Weight: 73 kg
F1 debut: 1997, Melbourne, Australia
Best qualifying: 2nd: 2001 Brazil
Best GP fin.: 1st, 2001 San Marino
GP starts: 70
Points 2001: 12
Total points: 98
Fastest laps: 3
Juan Pablo Montoya # 6
Nationality: Colombian
Born: 20 Sept. 1975, Bogota (Col)
Marital status: single
Lives: Monte Carlo (MC), Oxford (UK)
Height: 1,68 m
Weight: 72 kg
F1 debut: 2001, Melbourne, Australia
Best qualifying: 4th, 2001 Brazil
Best GP fin.: -
GP starts: 4
Points 2001: -
Total points: -
Fastest laps: -
2001 FIA F1 Championship
Ralf Schumacher (Qualifying/Race):
Australia: 5th/DNF
Malaysia: 3rd/5th
Brazil: 2nd/DNF
San Marino: 3rd/1st
Juan Pablo Montoya (Qualifying/Race):
Australia: 11th/DNF
Malaysia: 6th/DNF
Brazil: 4th/DNF
San Marino: 7th/DNF