Turkish GP: Williams Race notes

It was an unfortunate first Turkish Grand Prix for the BMW WilliamsF1 Team as neither of the team's drivers saw the chequered flag. Both Mark Webber and Nick Heidfeld retired from the race after they twice suffered right rear tyre incidents. The team and Michelin are now investigating to ascertain what the cause was.

Nick Heidfeld:

"My start was average but I had a good look at Jarno on the inside going into turn one and nearly passed him there. I then nearly took him on the outside going into turn three but I was on the clean side of the track and he pushed me over a bit. It was ok though. It was good fun for the first half of the first lap!"

"Afterwards, I think the pace was reasonable, but I couldn't keep up with the guys in front. I then had two tyre incidents. At the moment, we are not sure what the cause was."

Mark Webber:

"It was a difficult day for us. I had a pretty poor start and then I saw Felipe nearly take Nick out at the first corner so I had to make sure I wasn't on the outside of him. The Red Bulls then got a good run on me up the hill but I soon managed to pass Christian Klien and David Coulthard."

"I was trying to get to the first stop as quickly as possible when I had an incident with my tyre at turn 12. When I came out of the pits, I was a lap behind Michael Schumacher but I was much quicker than him. I thought it was strange that he was moving around the braking area as all the drivers agree to try not to do this."

"Michael seemed quite keen to do it though so I didn't show much respect in the end when I went round the corner. We then made contact. After that, I had another tyre incident which ended our race."

Sam Michael (Technical Director, WilliamsF1):

"It is disappointing that we had to retire both cars from the race. However, after the two rear tyre incidents on each car, we had no choice. It is too early to speculate what the cause is but we are looking into it now with our tyre partner, Michelin."

Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Director):

"After a good qualifying session, it is obviously disappointing both cars failed to finish the race. Both were retired and we will now investigate the reason why with Michelin. As disappointing as the retirements are for the team, I must say that the circuit is excellent so the Turkish Grand Prix deserves its place on the Formula One calendar."

Nick Heidfeld: DNF (after 29 laps)
Best time: 1:27.353 (lap 25, 16th overall)
Chassis: FW27 03
BMW P84/5 Engine: 2nd GP

Mark Webber: DNF (after 20 laps)
Best time: 1:26.791 (lap 12, 12th overall)
Chassis: FW27 04
BMW P84/5 Engine: 2nd GP

-williams-