Williams Imola test notes 2004-02-24

BMW WilliamsF1 Team driver, Ralf Schumacher, topped the timesheets at Imola, Italy, today as the final pre-season test got underway. As predicted, weather conditions were far from perfect at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, with rain and snow severely hampering the programme.

As the teams prepared for next week's Australian Grand Prix, drivers and team personnel shivered in temperatures of around 3°C.

Ralf was the BMW WilliamsF1 Team's sole representative today, the FW26 making its debut at the Imola track which will host the San Marino Grand Prix on April 25.

Having worked on mechanical set-ups in the morning, when the weather deteriorated the team opted to work on wet set-ups, such were the conditions. Unfortunately, however, it soon became too cold to collect valid data. Ralf completed 57 laps, more than any other driver present, and posted a best time of 1:21.869. No other driver was able to go faster than the German.

Sam Michael(Chief Operations Engineer, WilliamsF1):

"Today Ralf concentrated on final set-up work in preparation for Melbourne. He also ran the new Michelin dry tyre for Imola which is a useful step forwards. The session was hit by rain in the afternoon, so Ralf spent the time evaluating different Michelin wet tyres and completing further systems checks for the first race."

The test continues tomorrow, when Juan Pablo Montoya will take over from Ralf.

-williams-