Formula 1
European GP: Williams race notes
The Eifel region's micro-climate almost predictably came into play this afternoon as torrential rain caused chaos in the opening laps of the European Grand Prix but prompted one of the most compelling races of the season. Alex Wurz drove flawlessly ...
Published: Jul 22, 2007, 11:21 PM
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The Eifel region's micro-climate almost predictably came into play this afternoon as torrential rain caused chaos in the opening laps of the European Grand Prix but prompted one of the most compelling races of the season. Alex Wurz drove flawlessly to bring the car home in fourth place and claim some welcome points for the team.
Nico Rosberg's race was over when he became a casualty of the conditions, aquaplaning off the track on lap two into a car park of fellow victims at the Castrol-S. Alex's five points strengthen the team's fifth position in the Constructors' Championship.
Alex Wurz:
"I could almost taste the champagne today! I am very happy with fourth position and a lot of points. It was a very tough race, I had to use all my brain power and push at the right times. The hardest thing out there today was keeping my head calm because in such a situation it is so easy to get carried away. I had to concentrate and bring the car home. My car was good today."
"In the last few laps I put a lot of pressure on Mark Webber because I saw he was sliding a bit and I was hoping he would make a mistake. He did make a small one, right at the end, but it was not enough to launch an attack and, of course, my main target was to bring points home for the team. One could say finishing just 0.2 seconds behind a podium position is frustrating, but I'm happy with fourth."
Nico Rosberg:
"The start lap was very difficult on the hard tyres. It wasn't easy to warm them up and I seemed to struggle more than the cars around me. We knew the rain was coming, and we came into the pits at the right time, but we didn't expect so much water and we fitted my car with inters rather than full wets."
"I went back out on track and after some time there were yellows going into the first corner. I slowed down a lot but I aquaplaned and slid into the gravel. In such a situation, the tyres just come up and sit on top of the water and you have no contact with the ground. The engine then stopped and that was it. It was very disappointing. I'm now looking ahead to the next race."
Sam Michael, Technical Director:
"A great result for Alex again. It clearly shows that under difficult conditions, similar to those in Montreal, he can keep his head and make the right choices. He also almost got a podium today but it just wasn't to be. It was a fantastic effort and good for the team as it consolidates our position in the Championship. Obviously, Nico's race was over really early. Apart from having to make quick strategy calls and tyre choices, we didn't have any problems in the race."
Alex Wurz: 4th
Chassis/engine: FW29-03 H149
+6.937 (1:34.235, 5th fastest lap)
Nico Rosberg: DNF
Chassis/engine: FW29-05 H150
2:50.950, 20th fastest lap
-credit: williams
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