WilliamsF1 Team Comments: French GP

By Andrew Hooper
July 7 2003

 
 
French GP Race - Team Comments
 
For the second time in a row, the BMW WilliamsF1 Team today secured their second one-two victory. As at the Nürburgring, Ralf Schumacher crossed the line first, ahead of team mate Juan Pablo Montoya. Ralf's win in Magny-Cours is his sixth Formula One victory. It is WilliamsF1's 111th win and BMW's 17th win. The BMW WilliamsF1 Team confirms their second place in the FIA Formula One Constructor's Championship, only three points behind Ferrari. Ralf stays third in the Driver's rankings, followed by Juan Pablo, who set the fastest lap during today's race.

The Team will be testing at Barcelona from 8-11 July, Marc Gené all days, Marko Asmer (8), Ralf Schumacher (9-11)
 
Juan Pablo Montoya
Juan Pablo Montoya"I was not too comfortable in my car today and I was losing time, especially in the third sector. I pushed very hard and decided to come in earlier for my second pit-stop because there was quite a lot of traffic and I was wasting time but still I could not catch Ralf. On this track you cannot really overtake easily, so you try to do it with the pit-stop strategy. After the third stop I just backed off and drove to secure my position, as Michael Schumacher was a fair amount of seconds behind me with only a few laps to go."
 
Ralf Schumacher
 Ralf Schumacher"Finally I did it from pole position! In the first part of the race it all seemed to go very well but after the first pit stop the car did not feel so good and I lost some time. Also I was delayed by several drivers that I had to lap, especially Jarno Trulli, who I could not overtake due to a yellow flag. Regarding the light off I had in the last laps, it was my fault as I braked too late. I hope we can keep this momentum going even though we are now going to circuits that are even tougher on the car. We are definitely getting closer and closer to Ferrari but for the moment I prefer not to think about our World Championship chances as things can change so quickly in F1."
 
Dr Mario Theissen BMW Motorsports Director
 Mario Theissen"The second consecutive 1-2 is simply unbelievable if you think about how weak we were at the start of the season. The way we dominated the race from the first to the last lap was stunning. We were able to go faster than everybody else at any time. After the third pit-stop we just eased up. Front row and a 1-2 finish is the best result we have ever achieved in our three and a half years of partnership. With regards the Championship, we have nearly caught Ferrari which is good for us and for the fans in future races."
 
Sam Michael Chief Operations Engineer WilliamsF1
 Sam Michael"This is a fantastic day for the team. Ralf drove a brilliant race today, true textbook style, not putting a foot wrong. The current performance of the BMW WiliamsF1 Team is the result of a number of factors and the effort put in by our technical partners, but it is fair to say that the latest improvements have predominantly come from the aerodynamic department and through Michelin's intensive tyre development work."
 
 
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