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Formula One: German GP qualifying: BMW Williams F1

30 July 2000

German Grand Prix -- QUALIFYING
29th July 2000

Weather: Variable with showers.
Average air temperature 17°C. Av. track temperature 18°C

Ralf Schumacher and Jenson Button will start from 14th and 16th
positions respectively for the 2000 German Grand Prix. Today's
qualifying was strongly affected by changeable weather and track
conditions. At the very end of the morning's first free practice session
Ralf slid off the track and damaged his car, which was repaired in time
to allow him only two laps of running in the second session.

Ralf Schumacher 
    Position: 
    14th 
Chassis:
         FW22 02 
    Fastest Lap:
         1:48.841
          
T-car:
              FW22 03
     
"With such weather conditions you have to be out on the circuit at the
right time and we didn't manage it. At the end I couldn't improve as
we were on dry set up because we were expecting dry conditions. I'm
not worried about tomorrow's race as anything could happen." 

Jenson Button 
    Position: 
    16th
Chassis:
         FW22 04 
    Fastest Lap:
         1.49.215
"My first lap was fast but in the first corner Fisichella went off the track
into the gravel and came straight back across the circuit almost twice,
so I had to lift off quite a bit and lost some time. When Fisichella went
out for his second run the track was in good condition and nobody
was out on the track. He really had perfect timing! We went out just
after but it started raining. In my last run the track was too wet for any
improvement."
 
Patrick Head (Technical Director)
"A very disappointing qualifying but really as a result of not making
the right choices in the pits about when to be out on the circuit and in
what condition. There was an element of chance in it but an element
that needed decisiveness and we really got the wrong end of that.
Anyway we have to do everything to make sure the car is reliable
tomorrow and try to have a reliable run in the race."

Gerhard Berger (BMW Motorsport Director)
"The result is disappointing for us, as we were expecting better
positions than 14th and 16th. The weather conditions were hard for
everybody but the timing made the difference and ours wasn't the
best. We didn't have any technical problems."