Williams Paul Ricard test summary 2004-03-24/26

The BMW WilliamsF1 Team concluded a three day test at Le Castellet today having covered just over 3,500 kilometers. Ralf Schumacher and the team's official test drivers, Marc Gené and Antonio Pizzonia, were all on hand to perform testing duties. On Friday reigning IRL Champion, Scott Dixon, joined Ralf for the final day of the test.

As part of the team's ongoing commitment to developing the WilliamsF1 BMW FW26 and reducing the gap to main rivals, Ferrari, the drivers concentrated on preparation work for the forthcoming Bahrain Grand Prix and the start of the European rounds.

Tim Newton (Test Team Manager, WilliamsF1):

"With four drivers sharing the test programme this week, we've managed to record a significant amount of mileage, data from which we will be able to use in preparation for the next few races. Aside from shaking down the new FW26 chassis, we've completed some useful tyre testing with Michelin. Scott Dixon ran for the first time today, and spent the session acclimatizing himself with a Formula One car and preparing for his next run in Barcelona."

Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Director):

"Besides tyre testing, we also undertook practice starts and tested traction control. Although the weather wasn't perfect, we have made good improvements at Ricard for the forthcoming Bahrain race. Parallel to our track activity, we have been analysing Ralf's Malaysia engine and identified the defective component."

Scott Dixon:

"Although it's a steep learning curve, I've had a really enjoyable day and, in general, I'm please with how it went. Unfortunately, I had a problem with the gearbox this morning so my time in the car was limited. When the team fixed the problem I was happy with how it went at the end. I would have liked to have had a few more runs in the car as I think I could have gone quicker but I'm now looking forward to the next test in Barcelona."

-williams-