Canadian GP: Williams race notes

At the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal the BMW WilliamsF1 Team achieved its best result so far this season. After having set pole position on Saturday, Ralf Schumacher finished second in the race. It was his first podium finish since last year's French Grand Prix. Juan Pablo Montoya crossed the line in fifth place after a race that demonstrated fierce competition between the top teams.

Ralf Schumacher:

"This result is better than we had expected before coming to Montreal, but still a bit disappointing after I started from pole. The way we performed this weekend is a clear sign that we have some chances to be at the front and this is very encouraging for the team."

"We took the best we could out of our package this weekend and my car was really strong thanks in no small part to Michelin who supported us here with great tyres. It will take us two or three races to really see the next step improvement."

Juan Pablo Montoya:

"Fifth place is really not what I hoped for. I must say the car was so good yesterday in qualifying, that I really deluded myself I could get more out of this race. In the first and second stints the rear of my car was sliding a bit and driving was difficult."

"Nevertheless, I managed to have a good pace and I could put some pressure on Michael for a few laps and towards the end of the race I was catching up with Jenson Button. It was good for me and for the team to be competitive again and I hope that this momentum is going to last next week at Indy too."

Sam Michael (Technical Director, WilliamsF1):

"It was a good day for our team and a welcome return to form. It was a close fight with all the teams. Both our drivers, Ralf and Juan drove good races and the team's strategy proved to be the right one for our cars. We pushed Ferrari for the win but they were just a bit too strong today. After having achieved pole position and strong race results on the challenging circuit of Montreal, we want to carry this momentum forward in to next week's race in Indianapolis."

Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Director):

"To see this increase in performance is important for everybody in the team. With several different strategies this was a very interesting race today and it brought us the best result so far this season. Ralf especially has shown excellent performance in qualifying and the race."

"This circuit is extremely hard on the engines and brakes, but both our cars ran without any problems. Together with yesterday's pole position here and the double-victory at the Nurburgring 24-hours race this is really a very special race weekend for BMW Motorsport."

Ralf Schumacher: 2nd
Chassis: FW26 07
Best time: 1:14.040 min (lap 70, 3rd overall)

Juan Pablo Montoya: 5th
Chassis: FW26 06
Best time: 1:14.295 min (lap 69, 6th overall)

-williams-