BMW WilliamsF1 Team-French GP-Race

French Grand Prix  -  RACE
6th July 2003

Weather: dry, overcast, air 24-25°C, track 28-31°C

Magny-Cours (FRA). For the second time in a row, the BMW WilliamsF1 Team
today secured their second one-two victory. As at the Nürburgring, Ralf
Schumacher crossed the line first, ahead of team mate Juan Pablo Montoya.
Ralf¹s win in Magny-Cours is his sixth Formula One victory. It is
WilliamsF1¹s 111th win and BMW¹s 17th win. The BMW WilliamsF1 Team confirms
their second place in the FIA Formula One Constructor¹s Championship, only
three points behind Ferrari. Ralf stays third in the Driver¹s rankings,
followed by Juan Pablo, who set the fastest lap during today¹s race.

Ralf Schumacher:    1st
Chassis: FW25 07 
Best time: 1:15,698 min (lap 37, 2nd  overall)
"Finally I did it from pole position! In the first part of the race it all
seemed to go very well but after the first pit stop the car did not feel so
good and I lost some time. Also I was delayed by several drivers that I had
to lap, especially Jarno Trulli, who I could not overtake due to a yellow
flag. Regarding the light off I had in the last laps, it was my fault as I
braked too late. I hope we can keep this momentum going even though we are
now going to circuits that are even tougher on the car. We are definitely
getting closer and closer to Ferrari but for the moment I prefer not to
think about our World Championship chances as things can change  so quickly
in F1."

Juan Pablo Montoya:    2nd
Chassis: FW25 06   
Best time: 1:15,512 min (lap 36, 1st overall)
"I was not too comfortable in my car today and I was losing time, especially
in the third sector. I pushed very hard and decided to come in earlier for
my second pit-stop because there was quite a lot of traffic and I was
wasting time but still I could not catch Ralf. On this track you cannot
really overtake easily, so you try to do it with the pit-stop strategy.
After the third stop I just backed off and drove to secure my position, as
Michael Schumacher was a fair amount of seconds behind me with only a few
laps to go." 

Sam Michael (Chief Operations Engineer, WilliamsF1):
"This is a fantastic day for the team. Ralf drove a brilliant race today,
true textbook style, not putting a foot wrong. The current performance of
the BMW WiliamsF1 Team is the result of a number of factors and the effort
put in by our technical partners, but it is fair to say that the latest
improvements have predominantly come from the aerodynamic department and
through Michelin¹s intensive tyre development work."

Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Director):
"The second consecutive 1-2 is simply unbelievable if you think about how
weak we were at the start of the season. The way we dominated the race from
the first to the last lap was stunning. We were able to go faster than
everybody else at any time. After the third pit-stop we just eased up. Front
row and a 1-2 finish is the best result we have ever achieved in our three
and a half years of partnership. With regards the Championship, we have
nearly caught Ferrari which is good for us and for the fans in future
races."

Barcelona Test: 8-11 July, Marc Gené all days, Marko Asmer (8), Ralf
Schumacher (9-11)