Monaco GP Williams race notes

In a very incident packed race, neither of the BMW WilliamsF1 Team cars saw the chequered flag. Jenson Button had an early end to his race when on the 17th lap he was called into the pit because the engine lost oil pressure. Ralf Schumacher had a very good start gaining three positions, but his race ended when he crashed into the barrier at the Sainte Devote corner, wounding his left calf with a 7cm cut. He was taken to the Princess Grace Hospital in Monte Carlo for further checking. At the time of his crash he was running in 4th position.

Jenson Button
Final Position: DNF
Best Time: 1:25.740
Chassis: FW22 01
"After the first start I was keeping my position but when I came out of the Loews corner, De La Rosa tried to go around the outside which didn't work because there is not enough room for two cars down there as it's very narrow. Without sufficient room we made contact and the race was stopped. At the restart we had to start from the pit lane and I was running 19th. About four laps before I retired when I went on the gas the engine revs would fall and I would lose power, so I was running half throttle. Then I was called in by the pitwall."

Ralf Schumacher
Final Position: DNF
Best Time: 1:23.769
Chassis: FW22 05
"I don't actually know where this injury came from. After crashing into the barrier I jumped out and did not look at the damaged car and therefore did not realise that my leg was hurt. I went off the circuit when I came to the Sainte Devote corner, Hakkinen was coming of the pits and I went on the left side of the track to overtake him but the line was dirty there and I didn't manage to brake sufficiently and finished in the barrier."

Frank Williams:
"We were looking forward to a sensible race being competitive but also keeping out of trouble. Jenson had an engine oil leak, but we are not sure yet from where. I am anxious to hear about Ralf's injury, hoping that it's not serious and I am looking forward to speaking to him this evening."

Dr Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Director):
"It was a very incident-packed race and it's a real shame that we contributed to this. Ralf started very well and moved up to 4th and was in the running for a podium place. I hope he recovers soon from this accident. With regards to the engine tuning we made some further progress. We will analyse as soon as possible the cause of Jenson's T-car engine leak."

The BMW WilliamsF1 Team will be testing in Monza from Tuesday 6th to Thursday 8th June. Both Ralf (dependent on his injury) and Jenson will be on duty.