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BRITISH GRAND PRIX, JULY 8 - 10, 2005 - PREVIEW
Tue Jul 05 16:30:00 CEST 2005 Press Release
Hot off the heels of the French Grand Prix, the teams head to Silverstone circuit, in the UK, this week for round eleven of the 2005 FIA Formula One World Championship, the British Grand Prix.
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Author.
Roy Oliemuller
BMW Group
Hot off the heels of the French Grand Prix, the teams head to Silverstone
circuit, in the UK, this week for round eleven of the 2005 FIA Formula One
World Championship, the British Grand Prix. The race remains a firm favourite
on the calendar for WilliamsF1, the Northamptonshire track being the location
of Frank Williams' first Formula One victory in 1979, as well as the team's
100th GP win in 1997. Located near WilliamsF1's factory in Grove, next
weekend's race is also one of the only opportunities for many of the team to
witness their cars in action.
Silverstone is a true racer's circuit, one that demands courage from the
drivers and precision set-up from the cars. With even further developments for
the FW27 chassis to be introduced at the British Grand Prix, the team hopes to
reproduce its previous successes at Silverstone while providing the fans with
some great entertainment at the home of British motor racing.
Nick Heidfeld:
"Like Barcelona, Silverstone is well known by all the drivers and teams as
everyone does a lot of testing there. I find the track quite challenging
because it has a couple of fast corners, one I particularly enjoy is Becketts.
I also like the English fans who know a lot about the sport and seem to be real
enthusiasts. Although the weather at Silverstone can sometimes be even worse
than that at the Nurburgring, I quite like driving in the rain and a wet track
always provides more fun for me."
Mark Webber:
"Silverstone is always a place I enjoy going to. Because I've lived in England
for a long time, I have many friends that always come to support the teams I
have competed for at the British Grand Prix. I have many good memories of
Silverstone. In 1997, I raced in F3 for Alan Docking Racing, whose team was
based there, while I won there when I was driving in F3000. Last year's F1 race
was good and, last, but not least, home is only 40 minutes away! I have also
done a lot of cycling round that area so I know the place pretty well.
The circuit itself is massively demanding. It's a high speed circuit, not too
dissimilar to Barcelona. As we know, weather can play a huge role at
Silverstone, but it would be good to have decent conditions. I really hope
we'll be more competitive next weekend and have a good race for one of the
team's home GPs."
Sam Michael (Technical Director, WilliamsF1):
"After France, we head to the UK for our home race, the British Grand Prix, and
the final part of the double header. Silverstone is a high speed circuit, with
fast changes of direction and three straights that reward power. It also has a
slow speed complex to finish off the lap. Aero efficiency is important at
Silverstone, with the cars' set-up geared towards helping high speed stability
while not losing too much grip in the complex.
To give our drivers the best chance at the British Grand Prix, we have some
further aero and mechanical upgrades for the cars. The chassis development has
been pushed really hard this year to improve the FW27. 2005 has been the
hardest and fastest development year we have ever had and the improved chassis
proves the hard work is yielding results.
Overtaking is possible at Silverstone, as was demonstrated a couple of years
ago. The teams' strategy decisions will be clearer now that the qualifying
format has settled down again."
Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Director):
"Silverstone is one of the most traditional venues on the race calendar and,
even after all this time, it remains one of the most popular circuits. At
WilliamsF1's home race, we want to make sure we get a good result.
Having four races within one month, July presents a real challenge for
everybody involved, especially because we have already had two back-to-back
races recently, including an overseas trip. Given the hectic schedule, any
development of the chassis is even more remarkable. The new aerodynamic
package, having made its debut in Magny-Cours, should bear more fruit at
Silverstone.
The three straights of the Silverstone circuit reward engine power. With 58 per
cent full throttle per lap, Silverstone ranks slightly higher than the average
F1 track. Nick and Mark will both have new BMW P84/5 engines for the British
Grand Prix."
Stats and facts:
Circuit/Date Silverstone Circuit/10th July 2005
Start time (local/GMT) 13:00 hrs/12:00 hrs
Lap/Race distance 5.141 km/308.355 km (60 laps)
Winner 2004 Michael Schumacher (Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro)
Pole 2004 Kimi Räikkönen (West McLaren Mercedes),1:18.233 min
Lap record Michael Schumacher (Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro), 1:18.739 min (2004)
F1 statistics: BMW WilliamsF1 Team 95 starts, 10 wins, 17 poles
WilliamsF1 pre-2000 356 starts, 103 wins, 108 poles
BMW pre-2000 97 starts, 9 wins, 15 poles
History and background:
For WilliamsF1, the British Grand Prix is always a poignant race. Not only is
it WilliamsF1's home race but, on 14th July 1979, Clay Regazzoni secured the
first victory for Frank Williams' team at Silverstone. The team's 100th victory
was also achieved at the Northamptonshire circuit, on 13th July 1997, by
Jacques Villeneuve. In total, WilliamsF1 has taken eight wins at the Home of
British Motor Racing.
This year's British Grand Prix will be the 39th to have been held at the
Northamptonshire circuit. Other British Grands Prix have been held at Aintree
(5) and at Brands Hatch (12). Three European Grands Prix have also been staged
in England, at Brands Hatch in 1983 and 1985, and at Donington Park in 1993.
Since Silverstone first hosted a Grand Prix in 1950, the track has undergone
numerous modifications. In more recent years, the infrastructure surrounding
the circuit has also been improved. Parking areas and access roads in
particular have been dramatically improved following the 2000 race when
un-seasonally heavy rain caused major disruption to the weekend.