The BMW WilliamsF1 Team
heads to Barcelona next week for the fifth round of the 2005 season, the
Spanish Grand Prix. Despite the teams' familiarity with the
circuit as a testing venue, the race at the Circuit de Catalunya is one
of the most
demanding on the Formula One calendar. The region's erratic weather
conditions
provide a continual challenge to the cars' set-up while prevailing winds
can
compromise aerodynamic efficiency.
Having won over one third of the Spanish GPs held at the Catalunya
track, the
BMW WilliamsF1 Team is looking forward to drawing upon its experience in
Barcelona next weekend. The team is also hoping that progress at the
Silverstone test this week, combined with further aero developments for
the cars, will provide a solid foundation to help drive the FW27s to a
successful result.
Mark Webber:
"We do a huge amount of
testing at Barcelona throughout the year so all the teams know the venue
particularly well. I like the track and so really hope we'll be able to
collect some good points there. I think there's going to be a special
atmosphere at the Spanish Grand Prix this year because Fernando Alonso
is leading the Championship. It's fantastic for Formula One to see so
many people so passionate
about this sport in that part of the world!"
Nick Heidfeld:
"I am looking forward to racing in Barcelona. It's a very technical
circuit and it's quite difficult to drive there, but everybody, the
teams and the drivers, know it very well as we do a lot of testing
there. They laid new tarmac over the winter which changed the circuit
quite a lot so it will be very different from last year, especially as
far as the tyres are concerned. Still, I think we should be in
reasonable shape."
Sam Michael Technical Director:
"We
spent this week testing at Silverstone circuit and made progress on
set-up and tyres in wet and dry conditions. We also spent a lot of the
time working on our starts. It's often hard to find a good balance on
the car in Barcelona and, with the changeable conditions, the set-up
continually evolves. Due to re-surfacing in
January, the track has changed causing the circuit to be less demanding
on tyres.
Not as much testing is
done at Barcelona as it used to be, but it is still more than the normal
race tracks where you don't test at all. We will have some further
aerodynamic improvements on the cars since the last GP, mainly around
the front of the car, and Michelin have two good compounds that we have
tested. All of these steps should help us to move the FW27 further up
the grid. Qualifying and the start are the most important things to get
right. Strategy will be interesting as well because overtaking is so
difficult on this track."
.
Dr Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Director):
"The
longest flat out section of the Circuit de Catalunya measures 982
metres. You therefore need every last drop of power, although
aerodynamics and drag also play a role in determining top speed. On the
whole, the load on the engine is fairly average in Barcelona, with the
full throttle ratio standing at 51 percent per lap.
It will be Mark Webber's turn to run with a new engine at the Spanish
Grand Prix,
while Nick Heidfeld will continue with the BMW P84/5 he used in Imola.
Since the introduction of the current regulation stipulating that the
teams' engines each have to last for two GP weekends, some key data has
become more stable. As a general rule, we have been reducing maximum
revs by 1,000 rpm for free practice on Friday. The evidence suggests
that this does not have any noticeable effect on tyre choice.
During the race, however, we can call on maximum engine output at any
time and make decisions according to the situation in hand. In simple
terms, this means that it is not worth pushing an engine to the limit if
the driver is stuck in traffic. This allows us to preserve the engine's
reserves of power for situations where there is greater potential for
success. Generally speaking, the peak output of one of these engines
will diminish during its service life. However, this loss of power is
only in the region of ten bhp, and therefore not serious enough to
affect the outcome of a race.
We are delighted to see the huge increase in interest in Formula One
among the
Spanish public, due primarily to the success of Fernando Alonso. The
organisers
report that all 115,000 tickets have been sold for the race Sunday."
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