Budapest (HUN). A challenging Hungarian Grand Prix for the BMW WilliamsF1 Team : after a difficult start for both the drivers, Juan Pablo Montoya and Ralf Schumacher managed to recover and finished third and fourth respectively. After 13 out of 16 Grand Prix the BMW WilliamsF1 Team has taken the lead in the FIA Formula One Constructors’ World Championship by eight points. Montoya is now just one point behind leader Michael Schumacher in the Drivers’ ranking.
Juan Pablo Montoya: 3rd
Chassis: FW25 06 Best time: 1:22,095 min (lap 37, fastest overall)
My start on the dirty side of the track was very bad, it was almost like throwing out an anchor! After the first lap I was in eighth position and it was really hard to pass the cars in front of me and make up for the places I had lost. I was trying for quite a while to overtake Michael but he just closed the door. That’s racing. So I preferred waiting for the pit-stops and to see how things would go. I pushed as hard as I could and could get into third place but then, with 10 laps to go I made a mistake and spun. I was lucky enough to keep my position in front of Ralf. I am very happy about the points I scored today, especially because Michael got just one. Our Team is now leading the Championship, this is great!
Ralf Schumacher: 4th
Chassis: FW25 07 Best time: 1:22,319 min (lap 55, 2nd overall)
I have no idea of what happened at the start. I just had no traction. Two corners later I had to be careful not to crash into the rear of Juan’s car. That was when I spun. Then I had a pretty good recovery from the far end of the field. It’s easy to imagine how things could have gone if I’d had a better start. Whatever happened, I would not have caught Alonso. Of course things are not looking too good for me in the Championship. If I wanted a chance to win the title now, I would need a miracle.
Sam Michael (Chief Operations Engineer, WilliamsF1):
It was a good day for both Championships as we managed to take the lead in the Constructors’ ranking and Juan closed the gap to Michael. Both our drivers did a fantastic job in recovering from 8th and 18th position respectively after the first lap. They should not have been there. It was the result of a terrible start for both cars and what happened in the first two corners. We will look at the launch start before the next race. It is good to see our lap times are the fastest, showing how strong the car is around this type of circuit. Well done to Fernando Alonso for his first win.
Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Director):
After a disastrous start our drivers found themselves in the middle of the pack. During the following confusion Ralf went wide on the outside and spun on the dust there. After the first lap Juan dropped back to eighth and Ralf went even further back, to the back of the field. I believe it was a strong effort from both of them to recover from such disappointing positions and to come third and fourth eventually. Especially at the Hungaroring – as it is well known how difficult it is to overtake here. Now we have taken the lead in the Constructors’ Championship for the first time this season, and the fight for the Drivers’ title is turning into a true thriller as Michael, Juan and Kimi are so close at the top.
