BMW WilliamsF1 Team-Austrian GP-Race

Austrian Grand Prix  -  RACE
18th May 2003

Weather: intermittent light drizzle, track 23-33°C, air 19-20°C

Spielberg (AUT). The BMW WilliamsF1 Team endured a trying day of highs and
lows at the Austrian Grand Prix after Juan Pablo Montoya retired from the
lead of the race on lap 32, while Ralf Schumacher improved on a difficult
grid position of tenth to finish in sixth place, promoting the team to third
equal in the Constructors¹ Championship.

Ralf Schumacher:    6th
Chassis: FW25 05  
Best time: 1:10.246 min (lap 40, 10th)
"After a difficult weekend I have three points in my pocket, which is some
compensation. I made a few mistakes, but I managed to recover some of the
lost ground. The main problem I had in the race was with the balance of the
car with the third set of tyres and in particular the fronts which were
graining badly. Otherwise the car was okay and I think the team has
demonstrated that it has raised its performance."

Juan Pablo Montoya:    DNF
Chassis: FW25 06
Best time: 1:10.112 min (lap 28, 9th)
"The guys did a great job all weekend, and I¹m not angry, what happened was
just racing. Right from the start we were looking really good and everything
was working to plan. Even when some drizzle came I was catching Michael at a
rate of two seconds a lap, which I think clearly shows that the FW25 has
potential, the team is going in the right direction and the Michelins are
working well. Then I started losing water pressure and I knew the race was
over. A shame, but at least we know we have the potential to win."

Sam Michael (Chief Operations Engineer, WilliamsF1):
"It is a shame that we had a water leak with Juan¹s engine, otherwise he
looked strong, he had a lot of fuel on board and he could have won the race
today. The chassis and the tyres were working well together. Ralf started
from further back, but none the less managed to claim three important
constructors¹ points. In summary the team is looking forward to Monaco, the
car is definitely improving and we must now translate this potential into
results."

Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Director):
"Of course it¹s disappointing if you retire from the lead of a race. Juan
Pablo could have won this eventful race. We were aware at the start that a
regulation standard valve which limits water pressure was not operating
correctly. The cooling system continuously lost water, and obviously even
without water the best engine cannot survive. Ralf improved progressively
from tenth position and had fourth place within his reach, but his third set
of tyres made the car difficult to control, and he dropped back to sixth
place. In summary, a disappointing result, but clearly improving
performance."

Le Castellet Test: 20-23 May, Juan Pablo Montoya and Marc Gené all days