Japanese GP preview - BMW WilliamsF1 Team
Japanese Grand Prix - 12/13/14-10-01 - PREVIEW
The final race of the 2001 Formula 1 World Championship will take place at
the Suzuka Circuit where some epic battles for not only the race but the
Championship have taken place in the past. For WilliamsF1 it was in 1987 at
the first race there that Nelson Piquet claimed his third Drivers'
Championship, but for Team Principal, Frank Williams, the race in 1994 was
the most memorable. Damon Hill beat Michael Schumacher in a two-part race
that was interrupted by torrential rain, and took the Championship down to
the wire in Adelaide with the drivers on equal points. This was the second of
three wins for WilliamsF1 in Japan and the first of two for Damon. The team
is hoping for something special again this year, but perhaps not the earth
tremor the track suffered during free practice last year.
Ralf Schumacher
"Suzuka is my favourite circuit on the race calendar and it is one of the
most difficult. It is not easy to be quick here as you have to know the track
very well. It is also very positive that the safety has improved for this
year. The only downside is it is very difficult to overtake here, and there
is only one place where it is possible. For me it is nice to go back to Japan
where I won the Formula Nippon Championship in 1996 and I am hoping for a
better result for us than in the US."
Juan Pablo Montoya
"I have raced twice in Japan in CART, although it was at Motegi and not
Suzuka, and nearly won both races. I thoroughly enjoyed myself there, as I
think it is an interesting place. Suzuka is somewhere I am really looking
forward to going as I have been told it is a proper racing cirucit - a great
track with great corners. I am just hoping we can get a good result there."
Sam Michael (Chief Operations Engineer)
"Suzuka is the last race on the calendar and is one of the most exciting
circuits - in the same league as Spa. The high-speed flowing corners to start
the lap, combined with a hairpin, a chicane and the infamous high speed 130R,
are a tall demand on the drivers and rhythm is an important aspect of being
quick at Suzuka. The Japanese circuit usually requires maximum downforce and
a stiffer than normal setup to ensure high-speed stability. Braking is also
important for the two stops at the hairpin and the chicane. Michelin have
some knowledge of the circuit, although not from Formula 1, but they are
planning a good step forward again in construction and compound. Engine power
is important to be able to run the high wing levels. This aspect also makes
it difficult to overtake, although a great opportunity exists into the
chicane. The high fuel penalty and tyre degradation usually means a two-stop
strategy in the race."
Dr. Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Director)
"We are already looking back at a very successful season. Four wins, four
pole positions and seven fastest race laps is much more than we could have
expected for only the second year of our Formula One project. Now we hope for
a good race result to round off the season. In terms of engine power we are
well prepared for the Suzuka circuit."
· For the fifth time since the first Japanese Grand Prix in1976 the race will
be the final one on the Grand Prix calendar. Sadly for the fans, unlike last
year and nine other times in the races 16 year history, it will not be the
Drivers' Championship decider. However, on several occasions the race at the
Suzuka circuit has proved to be one of the most exciting of the year. Suzuka
has been the home of the Japanese Grand Prix since 1987, but before that two
races were held at the Mount Fuji track in '76 and '77. The only other
Japanese circuit to hold a Formula 1 race was the TI Circuit Aida, and the
Pacific Grand Prix was held here in '94 and '95, with the Championship being
decided there in the latter of the two races. The Suzuka circuit is 3.644
miles (5.864 km) long and the 53 lap race will be 193.037 miles (310.596 km)
long. The race will start at 14.30 local time (05.30 GMT) on Sunday, 14th
October. Last year's winner was the newly crowned World Champion, Michael
Schumacher, in his Ferrari, but the current lap record was established in
1997 by Heinz-Harald Frentzen in his WilliamsF1 Renault in a time of 1min
38.942s (132.576mph/213.361km/h).
Ralf Schumacher # 5 Juan Pablo Montoya # 6
Nationality German Colombian
Born 30 June 1975 - Hürth, (Ger) 20 Sept. 1975, Bogota
(Col)
Marital status engaged to Cora Brinkmann engaged to Connie Freydell
Lives Salzburg (Austria) Monte Carlo (MC), Oxford (UK)
Height 1,78 m 1,68 m
Weight 73 kg 72 kg
F1 debut 1997, Melbourne, Australia 2001, Melbourne, Australia
Best qualifying 1st France 1st : 2001 Eur, Bel, Italy
Best GP fin. 1st: 2001 RSM, Can, Ger 1st: 2001 Italy
GP starts 82 16
Points 2001 48 25
Total points 134 25
Fastest laps 5 3
2001 FIA F1 Championship
Qualifying Race Qualifying Race
Australia 5th DNF 11th DNF
Malaysia 3rd 5th 6th DNF
Brazil 2nd DNF 4th DNF
San Marino 3rd 1st 7th DNF
Spain 5th DNF 12th 2nd
Austria 3rd DNF 2nd DNF
Monaco 5th DNF 7th DNF
Canada 2nd 1st 10th DNF
European 2nd 4th 3rd 2nd
France 1st 2nd 6th DNF
Great Britain 10th DNF 8th 4th
Germany 2nd 1st 1st DNF
Hungary 4th 4th 8th 8th
Belgian 2nd 7th 1st DNF
Italy 4th 3rd 1st 1st
USA 2nd DNF 3rd DNF
Sylvia Proudfoot
spur07@cs.com
403 287 3945
