USGP free practice - BMW WilliamsF1 Team

UNITED STATES GP - FREE PRACTICE 28 Sept 2001

Weather: Overcast and dry. Air temperature 14°C. Track temperature 16°C.

Day one of the United States Grand Prix was trouble-free for the BMW 
WilliamsF1 Team, despite both drivers feeling they have not yet found the 
right set-up for the FW23. At the end of the day Ralf Shumacher was ninth and 
Juan Pablo Montoya tenth. Ralf paid his respects to the American people by 
having the stars and stripes incorporated into his helmet design.

Ralf Schumacher 
Position: 9th 
Chassis: FW23 07 
Best Time: 1:13.919
"We had some problems finding the right set-up today. The car was 
oversteering at the entrance to the corners and didn't have enough grip in 
the infield. It seems the low temperatures don't suite our tyres very well. 
Even though we did some useful homework for qualifying, completing 42 laps, I 
think we have already made our tyre choice for the race."

Juan Pablo Montoya 
Position: 10th 
Chassis: FW23 08 (T-Car: FW23 02)
Best Time: 1:13.983
"It has been a pretty hard day for us; working on the set-up of the car has 
been quite difficult. It is fun to be here but we are struggling a bit with 
the balance of the car and hopefully tomorrow we will do much better. I think 
the track has too many slow corners so think they should consider doing 
something about this."

Patrick Head (Technical Director WilliamsF1)
"We have had a normal Friday in terms of evaluating tyres and the car set-up 
for race conditions and both cars were reliable. From the work we have done 
we think we will be able to chose the race tyre, and now we will focus on a 
set-up for qualifying."

Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Director)
"This circuit is extremely challenging for engines. On one hand because of 
being on full throttle for more than 20 seconds - the longest of any track we 
race on - and on the other because of the centrifugal force in the oval 
section. Because of this it is very positive we had no engine problems today 
so we are happy after day one. This Grand Prix has a special meaning for the 
BMW as the United States is the most important market for us outside Germany."