11/06/2005
NEWS STORY
The BMW WilliamsF1 Team's drivers experienced today's qualifying session in completely different track conditions as Mark Webber went out second, while Nick Heidfeld was the penultimate driver to set a time. However, the pair achieved similar grid positions due to the fact they both made some mistakes. On another very hot and humid day, Nick qualified 13th, just ahead of team-mate Mark who was 14th.
Nick Heidfeld: I am not happy with my lap. I made a big mistake at the hairpin which cost me a lot of time. My position and lap time definitely don't reflect the potential of our car, but I think it will be more difficult for us to achieve a good result here than it has been in the last two races.
Mark Webber: Due to my DNF in the last race, I had to go out second in today's qualifying which didn't really help, but it's the same rule for everyone. I didn't have an ideal lap because I braked a bit too early at turn six. However, our car can do better in the race than it can in qualifying, which is unusual, considering our record. Here we don't look so strong in the first few laps, but we are more competitive in the long runs, which makes us confident for the race tomorrow.
Sam Michael (Technical Director, WilliamsF1): We had a disappointing qualifying session today, but a lot of things can change in the race. We have done our homework on brakes, tyres and strategy and expect to see a good improvement in tomorrow's pace. We had no mechanical problems.
Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Director): After the good results we achieved in the last two races, this was a disappointing qualifying. Neither of the drivers managed a flawless qualifying lap. Our starting positions for tomorrow's race are quite unfavourable, so we will see what outcome can come from these positions. We had no technical problems.