Australian GP Williams race notes

A sad first race of the season for the BMW WilliamsF1 Team where neither of the drivers saw the chequered flag. Ralf Schumacher was involved in an accident where a marshal was killed and Juan Pablo had to retire in last part of the race, when he was driving in the points, due to an engine problem.

Juan Pablo Montoya
"It's disappointing that I couldn't see the chequered flag because I had a good race so far. I think WilliamsF1 and BMW did a fantastic job and my Michelin tyres were performing really well, especially at the end of the run when I did my fastest lap and it was looking quite good. The engine blew up without giving me any warning. I can say now that running in F1 can be fun. I first thought overtaking was going to be impossible but now I realise that you can if you plan it - like in Champ Car races - and it's also very exciting! The car looks good and I am quite confident we're going to show well through the season."

Ralf Schumacher
"I am awfully sorry that a man who was looking after our safety was killed today. My deepest sympathy goes to his relatives and friends. I was on the inside of the track going my way and being careful not to make any change of line. I braked and suddenly felt a huge bang in the back and saw Jacques flying over me. I spun hoping that I would crash nowhere. I think that Jacques overrated himself a bit, just like last year in Canada, when he ran into my car. After I got out of my car I had a look at the cockpit of the BAR, which was almost destroyed and I was glad to know that Jacques had already stepped out of it."

Patrick Head (WilliamsF1 Technical Director)
"It's disappointing not to have a car at the finish here. Ralf made an early mistake but ultimately got put out when he was hit from behind. It could have been very dangerous for both drivers, and I am very sorry to hear that a marshal was killed. Juan Pablo made a good start but found himself in the wrong position at the first corner so lost a couple of places but he drove very well and made up positions. We were certainly on quite a high fuel load and I think we were in good shape to pick up a decent race result."

Dr Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Director)
"We had a very unlucky race after a good qualifying session. Both the drivers had an excellent start and had to retire through no fault of theirs. We had an engine failure on Juan Pablo’s car, though, due to a broken oil piping. The positive side of the weekend anyway, is the strong performance shown by our engine. With regards to the sad accident to the marshal I can only share Ralf’s sympathy.”