Chinese GP: Williams Friday practice notes

On the opening day of the very first Chinese Grand Prix weekend the BMW WilliamsF1 Team drivers set the 7th fastest time with Ralf Schumacher returning from injury for the first time since the USGP in June and Juan Pablo Montoya14th fastest, at the impressive Shanghai Circuit.

Ralf Schumacher:

"Everything ran smoothly today. The circuit is really well designed. Driving here is a lot of fun as it is something really new, especially the long corners which offer brilliant overtaking opportunities on exit. There is still some work to do on the set-up and the tyre choice is not going to be too easy. All in all we expect a challenging but interesting weekend."

Juan Pablo Montoya:

"It's a nice track. It was quite dirty this morning to start with but then it cleaned up and was pretty good. I spent the first laps learning it and I think that I've got it now, but I didn't manage to put a very fast time in because I had some traffic on new tyres. Still we had a pretty consistent run and the data we have collected should give us the right direction. I know there's definitely more in the car and I am looking forward to some more running tomorrow to get the right set-up."

Sam Michael (Technical Director, WilliamsF1):

"We had no mechanical problems and a productive first day here. Because of the new circuit it is even more important to go through the programme on tyres and brakes. The circuit is challenging in that it has a variety of corners. It is quite dusty now but it will undoubtedly clean up during the weekend."

Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Director):

The new circuit has passed its first test. It is full of different characteristics and demanding on drivers as well as on the technical side. The 1.2 km long straight is the most demanding part for the BMW engine. Especially in the first practice session, the track was very dirty. We will need to be very careful in the pit-stops, because the asphalt there is very slippery. Our drivers completed their programme without any problems and we are therefore happy with this first day."

Ralf Schumacher
Chassis: FW26 07
(Spare car FW26 06)
Practice session 1: 2nd, 1:35.455
Practice session 2: 7th, 1:34.714

Juan Pablo Montoya
Chassis: FW26 05
Practice session 1: 3rd, 1:35.761
Practice session 2: 14th, 1:35.646

-williams-