Canadian GP Williams qualifying notes

The BMW WilliamsF1 Team was delighted to be able to match its best qualifying of the year in Canada with Ralf Schumacher second on the grid for tomorrow. Juan Pablo Montoya lost valuable laps in the morning due to a gearbox problem so his tenth position was not too disappointing on a track he has never been to before.

Ralf Schumacher:
"We made a couple of changes to the car before qualifying and this proved an important step in the right direction. All of a sudden the car felt perfect and an increase in temperature helped as well. I had to watch the exciting finish on the television, but the rush for everyone to pass the line before the flag was more exciting than a race start."

Juan Pablo Montoya:
"After lack of track time this morning it was difficult to catch up in time for qualifying. With every run the car was getting better and better, but in the end this was just not enough. Starting tenth on the grid is going to be difficult, but I am still aiming to score some points."

Patrick Head:
Ralf's run was much better than we expected. He did a fantastic job and on his second run just got everything working together. Also the Michelin tyres improved as the track became hotter. A gearbox problem in the morning put Juan Pablo behind so had not been able to get the perfect set-up."

Gerhard Berger:
"Ralf's performance was unbelieveable. After morning practice he did not have the perfect balance or set-up so I was not expecting to be on the front row. Ralf kept working on the set-up, went in the right direction and got the best out of the package. This is what we were hoping for here in Montreal and now we have a good chance to do well in the race. Juan Pablo didn't find the right set-up and then on the last dash to the flag was stuck behind a Benetton. Tenth on the grid is not as good as we expected, but there are overtaking opportunities here so Juan Pablo with our engine could put on a good show."