BMW Williams F1 Team Australian GP race report

Australian Grand Prix - RACE Melbourne, 4th March 2001

Weather: Overcast. Average air temperature 23°C. Average track temperature 28°C.

A sad first race of the season for the BMW WilliamsF1 Team where neither of the drivers saw the chequered flag. Ralf Schumacher was involved in an accident where a marshal was unfortunately killed and Juan Pablo Montoya had to retire in the last part of the race, when he was driving in the points, due to an engine problem.

Juan Pablo Montoya Position: DNF (engine failure on lap 41 when 3rd) Chassis: FW23 02 Best Time: 1:29.606 on lap 40 (4th) "It's disappointing that I couldn't see the chequered flag because I had a good race so far. I think WilliamsF1 and BMW did a fantastic job and my Michelin tyres were performing really well, especially at the end of the run when I did my fastest lap and it was actually looking quite good. The engine blew up without giving me any warning. I can say now that running in F1 can be fun. I first thought overtaking was going to be impossible but now I realise that you can if you plan it -- unlike in Champ Car races -- and it's also very exciting! The car looks good and I am quite confident we're going to show well through the season."

Ralf Schumacher Position: DNF (accident on lap 5 when 6th) Chassis: FW23 03 Best Time: 1:34.406 on lap 3 " I am awfully sorry that a man who was looking after our safety was killed today. My deepest sympathy goes to his relatives and friends. I was on the inside of the track going my way and being careful not to make any change of line. I braked and suddenly I felt a huge bang in the back and saw Jacques flying over me. I spun hoping that I would crash nowhere. I think that Jacques overrated himself a bit, just like last year in Canada, when he again ran into my car. It's only thanks to the safety level of our cars that nothing bad happened to either of us. After I got out of my car I had a look into the cockpit of the BAR, which was almost destroyed and I was glad to know that Jacques had already stepped out of it."

Patrick Head (WilliamsF1 Technical Director) "It's disappointing not to have a car at the finish here. Ralf made an early mistake but ultimately got put out when he was hit from behind. It could have been very dangerous for both the drivers, and I am very sorry to hear that a marshal was killed. Juan Pablo made a good start but found himself in the wrong position at the first corner so lost a couple of places but he drove very well and made up positions. We were certainly on quite a high fuel load and I think we were in good shape to pick up a decent race result."

Dr Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Director) "We had a very unlucky race after a good qualifying session. Both the drivers had an excellent start and had to retire through no fault of theirs. We had an engine failure on Juan Pablo's car, though, due to a broken oil piping. The positive side of the weekend anyway, is the strong performance shown by our engine. With regards to the sad accident to the marshal I can only share Ralf's sympathy."

TEST: The team will be testing in Silverstone from Wednesday 7th to Friday 9th March. Marc Gene will be on duty for the whole period.