Williams on the right track

After the recent winter test sessions, Williams drivers Juan Pablo Montoya and Ralf Schumacher are confident that the new FW26 will be competitive. The team has tested extensively at Barcelona and Valencia since the start of the year and has been ...

After the recent winter test sessions, Williams drivers Juan Pablo Montoya and Ralf Schumacher are confident that the new FW26 will be competitive. The team has tested extensively at Barcelona and Valencia since the start of the year and has been setting lap records on the way.

Ralf Schumacher and Juan Pablo Montoya.

Photo by Sutton Motorsport Images.

"This is an excellent car as it reacts well to the set-ups and it seems to be very competitive," said Montoya. "This gives me great confidence about the coming months. The situation we had at this time last year compared to now is hugely different. I can already say that with this car we'll be able to fight for the championship."

Teammate Schumacher was equally optimistic: "The car handles very well and, without going into detail, I can say we are definitely on the right track," he commented.

After the most recent test at Barcelona last week, BMW motorsport director Mario Theissen was satisfied with the results. "Throughout the week, we have worked on engine set-up as well as improving the traction control system," he said.

"Furthermore, we have practiced manual starts and simulated an entire race weekend. The engine did not experience any problems so we are very pleased with the results we achieved."