Brazilian GP Friday Williams notes

Weather: Sunny and warm. 29ºC average

BMW WilliamsF1 Team drivers Ralf Schumacher and Jenson Button were 14th and 20th quickest in the first free practice session for the Brazilian Grand Prix. At the beginning of the second session, Jenson's car unfortunately had an engine problem that limited him to just four timed laps.

Ralf Schumacher
Best Position: 18th
Chassis: FW22 03
Best Time: 1:18.024
"I am not so satisfied with the result of today's free practice. At the moment the car hasnÕt achieved the level of performance that the BMW WilliamsF1 Team showed in Melbourne. In some corners we have still a bit of understeer, I guess because the track was pretty dirty and slippery, but I am quite confident that the FW22 will improve for tomorrowÕs qualifying and for Sunday's race."

Jenson Button
Best Position: 20th
Chassis: FW22 01
Best Time: 1:19.303
"Even if I have done only 27 laps today I think that this circuit is really good. Of course, having run so little, it doesn't really show the capabilities of both myself and the car. I am sure that when I did my time it wasn't the best moment to be on the circuit as it was very hot. Anyway it has been good so far. We have tried a few different things in the car that seemed to have worked. I just wished I could have had more running today."

Patrick Head (Technical Director, WilliamsF1)
"Although Jenson did a very good job getting to a competitive time for the fuel and tyre conditions he was running in the first session, unfortunately we had a technical problem and he wasn't able to run the whole of the second session and lost quite a bit of track time. Otherwise we have done some good homework for the race with Ralf and expect to put our attention more towards qualifying and a grid position for tomorrow."

Dr. Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Director)
"In the morning session both engines ran trouble-free. The relatively high temperatures and the long uphill part before the start/finish line put the engine under pressure. Ralf ran with no problems in the second session while Jenson had an engine failure. It was unexpected and we are analysing the data to identify the reason. Although the engine was changed very quickly at the end there was not enough time left, even for an installation lap."