---

FORMULA ONE: Japanese GP free practice: BMW Williams F1 Team

7 October 2000

Japanese Grand Prix - FREE PRACTICE
6th October 2000

Weather:  Overcast and dry.
Air temperature 25°C average. Track temperature 26°C average.

BMW WilliamsF1 Team drivers Jenson Button and Ralf Schumacher
were 5th and 12th quickest respectively in the first free practice
sessions for the Japanese Grand Prix.

Jenson Button
Chassis:
         FW22 04
Best Time:
         1:39.111
         Position:
    5th    
"The most difficult thing for me was learning the circuit. I think it's
going to take me another day. I think I am still quite a bit off where I
should be really. The track is good, it's just very difficult to get the "S"
sorted out, the long, sweeping curves. It's very, very difficult to know
which way to take them. I know that some drivers push very hard in
the first bit and then lose on the second bit or whatever, and I think I
am losing on both! Anyway, we'll see tomorrow. "

Ralf Schumacher
Chassis:
         FW22 06
T-Car Chassis:
    FW22 03
Best Time:
         1:40.166 
         Position:
    12th     
"We didn't experience any major problems, apart from a damper
which caused me some troubles. We just did some race work and
everything went as it should. I've always liked this circuit and it's nice
to come back to the Japanese crowd, which still remembers me from
four years ago. I think we should be in good shape for tomorrow's
qualifying."
 
Patrick Head (Technical Director, WilliamsF1)
"We had a very normal Friday, just doing our homework for race day.
Ralf had what appeared to be a problem with a damper on his car,
which confused us a little on set-up. Anyway we collected a lot of
data, which we are going to look at now and sort ourselves out for
qualifying tomorrow."

Dr Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Director)
"After the off-switch activated itself on Jenson's car in Indianapolis,
just as he was overtaking on the famous bricks, we sorted out this
problem with a new software solution. By the way, it seemed to work
during the light earthquake! Apart from that, nothing unusual
happened regarding the engine."