Monaco GP: Williams race notes

Juan Pablo Montoya achieved the first victory of the 2003 season for the BMW WilliamsF1 Team at the Monaco Grand Prix. It is the sixth since the beginning of the team's partnership which began in 2000, the last victory for the team was at the 2002 Malaysian GP. WilliamsF1's last Monaco victory dates back to 1983 with Keke Rosberg.

Montoya celebrated the second win of his F1 career after Monza 2001. Ralf Schumacher finished the race in fourth position. With today's result, the BMW WilliamsF1 Team closed the gap to rivals McLaren and Ferrari in the Constructors' World Championship. Montoya and Schumacher are now equal fifth in the drivers' ranking.

Juan Pablo Montoya:

"Today was the ideal day. The car worked well, the tyres worked well and the team did a fantastic job. We really needed this. It's fantastic, it's unreal, there were a few races where I was close to a win and then I just didn't make it, like in Australia, for example. The key today has been the start, where I was able to jump in front of Kimi and then I set about widening the gap from him before my pit-stops. After that it was just a matter of pacing myself."

"I was not under too much pressure in the last laps when Kimi was close behind but I had to be alert. The tyres in particular worked very well and were consistent. Winning in Monaco is very special, there is no other race like this in Formula One. It is a bit like winning the Indy 500 in the USA. This is the first time I have finished the race here since I started racing in F1 and I have won it!"

Ralf Schumacher:

"Obviously it is disappointing to finish fourth when you start on pole especially on a track like Monaco when being on pole means more than anywhere else. The balance of my car was for some reason not ideal after the first pit stop and I could not keep up with the pace of the leaders. Congratulations to Juan Pablo and the whole team for the great result."

Sam Michael (Chief Operations Engineer, WilliamsF1):

"It was a fantastic result for the whole team. Juan did a great job in winning on such a difficult track. The key to success in this race is downforce and mechanical grip. I think today we showed how good the car really is and the tyres worked well too. Ralf started well, had a slow middle stint and made a mistake in the Rascasse in the last stint but it didn't effect his final finishing position. However, tonight we will be celebrating with the whole team and the guys from Michelin."

Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Director):

"This is such a great result, it feels just so good! This success, including yesterday's pole position, means further motivation for our team. We have felt for a while that we are improving, but did not manage to turn it into results. Juan drove a race without any errors and he kept those behind him under control. Ralf had a little bit of bad luck after both his pit stops when each time a car passed him by fractions of a second."

Juan Pablo Montoya: 1st
Chassis: FW25 06
Best time: 1:14.902 min (lap 47, 4th)

Ralf Schumacher: 4th
Chassis: FW25 05
Best time: 1:14.768 min (lap 77, 3rd)

-williams-