Both BMW WilliamsF1 Team cars reached the chequered flag at the end of today's race with both Mark Webber and Nick Heidfeld finishing just out of the points.

Nick Heidfeld: 9th
Best time: 1:23.917 (lap 54, 9th overall)
Chassis: FW27 04 / BMW P84/5 engine 1st GP
I lost a couple of places off the line and we obviously have to improve our starts. After that, Jarno held up the pack where I was for most of the time. I think towards the end of the race my pace was good enough to collect some points, but of course we want to be more competitive than just scoring points, so we must find more speed. I could catch up with Jarno and Ralf very quickly, but overtaking on this circuit was another matter. At the last pit-stop Ralf Schumacher got in front of me by forcing me to brake hard and avoid a crash.

Mark Webber:10th
Best time: 1:24.419min (lap 17, 14th overall)
Chassis: FW27 05 - BMW P84/5 engine 2nd GP
From the start, Trulli got past me straight away and so too did Sato, but I was able to recover this position at Tosa. After that I had to sit behind Jarno during the first stint, and it happened that we pitted on the same lap and I could not pass him. So I tried to pass Jarno on the track at the Variante Alta but while having a go, I had a big moment and let Villeneuve through. The last part of the race was difficult as I was struggling because the engine of my car was slowed down, having already run two GPs.

Sam Michael (Technical Director WilliamsF1): It is obviously both a disappointing result and day overall. We had a poor start and we spent the whole race in traffic. Clearly we have to improve this for the future. That said, the car's competitiveness was not as bad as it might have appeared due to the traffic but it's certainly not where we expected to be. We had no mechanical problems at all.

Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Director): Congratulations to Michael Schumacher for an extraordinary race, even though Fernando Alonso won in the end. For us, on the other hand, after a reasonable qualifying it was a disappointing race outcome. Both the drivers were held up in traffic for most of the race, but at no time were they in a position to get to the top. We had no technical problems and reliability was there, simply not the speed.

Test: Silverstone: 26-28 April - (M. Webber, A. Pizzonia, Nico Rosberg).

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

Sunday Qualifying

Weather: overcast, drying out. Air 16-17°C, Track 16-20°C

This morning's rain changed track conditions but ultimately didn't alter the final outcome from first qualifying for Mark Webber and Nick Heidfeld, who will start this afternoon's race in 4th and 9th position respectively. Nick, however, has gained a grid position due to Felipe Massa suffering a ten position demotion for an engine change.

Webber 4th / 1:20.442 7th / 1:24.069 5th / 2:44:511
Heidfeld 9th / 1:20.807 10th / 1:24.389 9th / 2:45.196

Mark Webber: Chassis: FW27 05 / BMW P84/5 engine : 2nd GP
I had a good lap but I wasn't quick enough to keep Jenson Button behind me like yesterday, but still I am starting from a good place on the grid and I think we are well set for this afternoon. It will be interesting to see how the various strategies unfold in the race.

Nick Heidfeld: Chassis: FW27 04 (T-car FW27 02) / BMW P84/5 engine : 1st GP
Qualifying was difficult for everyone today as the track was still damp in some places after this morning's rain. That said, it dried quite quickly as more and more cars ran on track and it was fine when I completed my lap. From the first session I have dropped a position to Sato, but we are going in the right direction and I am confident for the race.

Sam Michael (Technical Director, WilliamsF1): We have had a good second qualifying session and both cars ran without any problems. A solid race strategy is what is required now. There was a lot of progression of the circuit's grip level during the first part of the session due to the rain earlier this morning.

Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Director): Initially, it seemed as if both our drivers had lost a position each from the first qualifying result - interestingly both against a BAR car. But because of Michael's mistake, they have held their positions from yesterday, and in fact, Nick is gaining one grid position as he is benefiting from Felipe Massa's engine change. Considering our positions after the first qualifying session, we are happy with the final positions of fourth and eighth. What these grid position mean will ultimately depend on the timing of the first pit stops. Weather is also an uncertainty.

2005 San Marino Grand Prix - Main Page

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