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2005 SPANISH F1 GRAND PRIX

2005 F1 GP: R5 of 19, 2005 Spanish GP, May 8, Barcelona

2005 RACE PREVIEW:

BAR STATEMENT REGARDING 2 GP BAN:
Nick Fry (BAR Honda CEO): "BAR Honda are appalled at the decision of the FIA International Court of Appeal and assert that the judgement is contrary to all of the evidence heard yesterday. The team proved that they complied with the current regulations and the FIA now acknowledge that the regulations are unclear. We repeat that at no time did we run underweight at the San Marino Grand Prix and this was also unchallenged by the FIA. While the court rejected the FIA's original accusations of fraud and deception, BAR Honda say that this penalty is wholly and grossly disproportionate. The team are advised by their legal counsel that the judgement is plainly wrong based on the evidence presented and are currently examining their options. Our objective is to race this weekend. We need to get some judgement from a court very soon, probably tomorrow morning. We need to get a fair hearing and to clear our name. Our integrity is being challenged. The penalty implies we are guilty and we are not. We have to do what is right." BAR HAS DECIDED NOT TO APPEAL

FERRARI

• M SCHUMACHER: "The Grand Prix of San Marino was just what the doctor ordered for all of us ... Of course we had seen that we're heading in the right direction before at Bahrain, but Imola showed that we're capable of winning again ... That gave us hope and encouragement for the next leg of the season, and has pushed our motivation even further. We managed to keep our spirits up even during the messed up start of this year's season, and our performance at Imola proved that we were right in doing so ... Fernando is still the first driver that has to be mentioned in this context, because his performance at Imola was highly impressive, he has already won three races and he is still leading the championship by far .... And that makes him a hot contender for winning the race."

RENAULT

• ALONSO: "If you look at the results, a Renault has won the first four races of the season, so everything is still there to fight for. Historically, Barcelona has been a much better circuit for the team than Imola, so we have to be confident for this race. But the other teams are very quick, and we all test there so everybody knows the circuit. I think the competition will be very close, even more than we saw in Bahrain or Imola."
• FISICHELLA: "I think the R25 will be quick in Barcelona, really quick. In the last seasons, Renault have always been fast there and already this year in testing, we have been fast on the timed lap and then very consistent on the long runs. Of course, Fernando will have huge support there and that will bring him a boost but I have already seen from testing that while they are supporting him, they also give me a very warm welcome, they want to see me do well too ... Things will be quite difficult because I am running early in first qualifying again, but as long as the lap is trouble-free, then I can get into a good grid position for a strong result. It will be important for me to start scoring points again."

TOYOTA

• TRULLI: "We have had a great start to the year and I'm delighted to be in second place in the championship going to Barcelona. To perform well there a car needs to have very good aerodynamic performance. The circuit has lots of corners and many of them are relatively high speed. It all means that a lot of the lap is spent in corners and so the car's balance has to be absolutely right. During winter testing we were never extremely quick at Barcelona but we have had substantial aerodynamic revisions since then and I am confident because the car has been more competitive everywhere so far. The track has been resurfaced since last year's race and was quite slippery initially, although I don't expect this will be an issue when more tyre rubber goes down. I think warmer conditions would suit us better."
• R SCHUMACHER: "We should definitely be more competitive in Spain than we were at Imola. The San Marino Grand Prix was always going to be a tough event for us, and our performance there shows that there is room for improvement. We now have to analyse the data from that race and come up with solutions for circuits that might pose similar problems for us, although Barcelona should not be one of them. The Circuit de Catalunya is a demanding track with four high-speed corners and, because of its situation on a hill, the wind is a major factor. It can be changeable, which makes the track difficult in terms of aerodynamics and gearing. As for the tyres, when we first tested on the new surface it was very smooth and too slippery but now that teams have done more running there, it's fine."

BAR-HONDA (before disqualification)

• BUTTON: "Barcelona is a circuit which I have always enjoyed driving at. It's very fast flowing and seems to be a race that we have always done well at. Following our test there at the beginning of April, I hold the unofficial lap record so the car is obviously in good form. We've been testing in Mugello this week, which is a similar type of circuit to Barcelona in that they are both very fast. We've been quick in testing so are positive that the team can go to Barcelona next weekend and get a good result."
• SATO: "Barcelona is one of the team's favourite circuits because for two consecutive years we have held the lap record - which is something very special. I always enjoy driving there as it is a high-speed and challenging circuit. We take the very high-speed turns at over 250kms, putting nearly 4.5G on the body, which is a great feeling in an F1 car. After re- surfacing in January, the track was initially 20 seconds a lap slower, however it seems to have improved now and we were able to do some useful development work at the recent test there. Unfortunately off-line is still quite slippery, and we are not sure how much overtaking will be possible during the race, so qualifying will be a great challenge. I am really looking forward to it, especially following our great result in Imola and I believe that it will be another very close Grand Prix weekend. Barcelona is a very historic city and I have been lucky to visit it a few times. It is interesting to see the architecture, eat lots of good food and see all of the monuments, but most importantly it is the venue of a great Grand Prix!"

SAUBER

• VILLENEUVE: "Barcelona has some long and fast corners so the cars have to be set- up very precisely. It is difficult to overtake on this track because the braking zones are quite short. Physically, it is demanding on the neck due to these fast corners and the high G-forces. However, there is always a good crowd there and it is a pleasant circuit to drive - you can really have fun if you can attack. I had a difficult test recently in Barcelona, but we didn't have the new aero package then and as we showed at Imola, that really has made a big difference to the performance of the Sauber Petronas C24. For sure it will also help us in Barcelona this weekend, but a lot will depend on how quickly we will be able find the right set-up. I had more freedom to set the car up the way I like in Imola, and was really pleased with my race there, so I am hoping all of that will carry over in Spain. Scoring three points has helped a lot and has relieved some of the pressure from the first three races. After the way the car went in Imola, I can't wait to get to Barcelona."

WILLIAMS-BMW

• WEBBER: "We do a huge amount of testing at Barcelona throughout the year so all the teams know the venue particularly well. I like the track and so really hope we'll be able to collect some good points there. I think there's going to be a special atmosphere at the Spanish Grand Prix this year because Fernando Alonso is leading the Championship. It's fantastic for Formula One to see so many people so passionate about this sport in that part of the world!"
• HEIDFELD: "I am looking forward to racing in Barcelona. It's a very technical circuit and it's quite difficult to drive there, but everybody, the teams and the drivers, know it very well as we do a lot of testing there. They laid new tarmac over the winter which changed the circuit quite a lot so it will be very different from last year, especially as far as the tyres are concerned. Still, I think we should be in reasonable shape."

BRIDGESTONE

• Hiroshi Yasukawa, Director of Motorsport: "This week's Spanish Grand Prix has all the hallmarks of being another classic race. We clearly saw in Imola that following an intensive period of working closely with our teams, we have been able to provide them with increasingly competitive tyres. To see Michael Schumacher running up to two seconds a lap faster than his rivals was hugely satisfying and we intend to keep up the momentum. The race in Spain will undoubtedly produce another big showdown between the leading runners and we expect the Ferrari drivers to be right up there, showing what they can do in front of the expected capacity crowd. I can't wait!"
• Tyres for Spain: The 4.627km Circuit de Catalunya underwent considerable resurfacing work during the winter months and as a consequence, has become relatively smooth on track. The circuit is still notoriously tough on tyres, however, and Bridgestone had to consider both these factors before choosing to bring a range of tyres from its hard to medium range of compounds. An appropriate wet and extreme wet weather specification has also been selected for the circuit.

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