It was a straightforward first day of a GP weekend for the BMW WilliamsF1 Team drivers, who completed their standard Friday homework in preparation for qualifying and the race sessions on Saturday and Sunday.

Nick Heidfeld
Chassis: FW27 04 (Spare car FW27 02) / BMW P84/5 engine: 1 GP
First session: 8th 1.23,086 min Second session: 14th 1.23,458 min

The most important matter for me today is confirming that my back is 100% okay after hurting it during last week's test. On the track, we had two reasonable Free Practice sessions today, and, as usual for Fridays, we worked mainly on tyre comparisons. We didn't experience any technical problems, which allowed us to run to our intended distance without hindrance.

Mark Webber
Chassis: FW27 03 / BMW P84/5 engine: 2 GP
First session: 10th 1.23,532 min Second session: 18th 1.23,964 min

We completed our proposed programme today and we have collected a useful amount of data, which in turn means we have plenty of information to sift later on today in preparation for tomorrow's running. All in all we had a pretty reasonable day, with our main focus on tyres.

Sam Michael (Technical Director, WilliamsF1):
We've had a good first day here in Imola. We got through all of our programme, mainly evaluating tyre compounds and brakes for the race on Sunday. Everything looks good, we had no mechanical problems. Now we are looking to further improve the set-up to get a couple of extra tenths out of the cars. The tyre choice this evening is obviously important. Our engineers will work close together with Michelin to make sure we make the right decision for the race.

Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Director):
There is nothing to report on the engine side. Mark has the engine he used in Bahrain, whereas Nick has a new unit. After the hot race conditions in Bahrain, we can go back to exploiting full engine rev range as usual under European temperature conditions.

2005 San Marino Grand Prix - Main Page
2005 San Marino Grand Prix - Team and Driver Friday Practice Reports Page

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