30/04/2005
NEWS STORY
The BMW WilliamsF1 Team concluded a three day test at the Silverstone circuit, in the UK, on Thursday.
Mark Webber, Antonio Pizzonia and the team's newly signed test driver, Nico Rosberg, all shared testing responsibilities. Despite typical British weather conditions of heavy rain, the drivers managed to cover 430 laps over the three days, a combined total of 2,210 kilometers, securing valuable data for forthcoming Grands Prix.
Sam Michael (Technical Director, WilliamsF1): "This week at Silverstone we worked on set-ups for this track - mechanical and aerodynamic, engine cooling, brake cooling as well as tyre testing for Michelin. We also concentrated on electronic set-up for traction control and starts. Mark and Antonio were helped out this week by Nico Rosberg. Nico was useful straight away with the test programme and has already made a direct contribution. As he is now a BMW WilliamsF1 Team driver he will be testing again in the near future.“
Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Director): "From BMW's side, our focus at the Silverstone test was on practise starts and further development of the traction control system."
Nico Rosberg: "I really enjoyed myself this week. It is unbelievable to drive this car. I think I settled into the team well, and they made me feel really welcome. It didn't take me too long to get used to the FW27 and, when I did, I worked through the programme quite well. I'm thrilled to have been given this opportunity as it's so interesting to learn about the workings of an F1 car. At the end of the day, I think I set quite competitive times and didn't make any mistakes over the two sessions so I'm really happy and looking forward to the next test."