# Italian [email protected]@@@[email protected]@@@



## berford (Sep 10, 2002)

Perhaps Sir Frank would do better with Button out of the picture. News from Monza:



*"Pizzonia top, Schumacher crashes*
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William's Antonio Pizzonia set the pace at Monza on Thursday, while newly-crowned world champion Michael Schumacher ended the day climbing unhurt from a badly-mangled Ferrari."
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## WILLIA///M (Apr 15, 2002)

berford said:


> Perhaps Sir Frank would do better with Button out of the picture.


No. They should not pass on Button if they can get him. Button/Webbah isn't quite Montoya/Raikkonen but it could be close.


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## SteveT (Dec 22, 2001)

Willa//m is right they should get Button if they can. I think they've established that they ought to keep Pizzonia around, just in case. Monza will be interesting.


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## tim330i (Dec 18, 2001)

*Italian GP - Preview* 
09/03/2004

The BMW WilliamsF1 Team travels to Monza next week for the Italian Grand Prix, and the last of the European rounds of the 2004 FIA Formula One World Championshp season. The FW26 demonstrated a promising level of competitiveness at last weekend's Belgian Grand Prix, and with further improvements on the car for Monza, the team is looking forward to translating the developments to points to consolidate the team's position in the Constructors' World Championship standings. 
Although Ralf Schumacher's recuperation continues well, the German driver's return to the cockpit is now expected after the Italian Grand Prix. Consequently, Antonio Pizzonia will once again deputise for Ralf following his strong performance in Spa.

Juan Pablo Montoya:
We had a productive three day test in Monza this week where we managed to complete our scheduled programme, so I am confident that we will have a good race weekend in Italy. Monza is always special to me because I had my first Formula One victory there in 2001. It was a really great feeling to be on the top step of the podium on Ferrari's home ground! 
We should be able to perform well in Monza this year because the circuit suits our chassis and engine package and both Antonio and I like the track. I always like going to Italy, the people are friendly, the weather is usually good and the food is just brilliant. After the disappointing outcome of the Belgian Grand Prix, our aim remains to collect as many points as possible. We proved we could do it, but we just need a bit more luck!

Antonio Pizzonia:
After the disappointment of missing my first Formula One podium finish in Spa, I am very happy to be racing in another Grand Prix, especially on this track which I really enjoy. I have raced in Monza twice in F3000, but never in an F1 car, and I just can't wait. Having tested on this track for three days, I should be in the best possible position to race here. 
This is one of the most exciting races on the calendar because it offers a lot of overtaking opportunities, like on the long start/finish straight where you can slip stream and pass at the first corner. We have a good engine for the long straights and our car is really good over the kerbs and under braking, which is all you need here.

Sam Michael (Technical Director WilliamsF1):
Monza is now a unique circuit on the Formula One calendar, one dominated by long straights, a couple of chicanes and only four important corners. With top speeds exceeding 370kph during the race, Monza is also the fastest circuit of the season. Set-up demands the lowest amount of downforce possible, and therefore requires special, one-off front and rear wings that only work on the Monza track. Good curb riding ability is important, as is the medium speed balance for the corners around the lap.

We will have some mechanical and engine improvements on the cars for this race. In addition, the team has focused on brake work at the Monza test this week in preparation for the hard braking the cars will experience during the race. Even though our starts were good at Spa, we have been working hard to make further advances. Michelin have also been hard at work since the tyre failure we had on Juan's car in Belgium, and have devised a new, higher strength rear tyre. Their work for Spa showed that they were in the correct compound region for the race. Antonio will once again drive alongside Juan and, after his excellent drive in Spa, he is looking for a strong result with his team mate.

Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Director):
From BMW's point of view, Monza is a particularly satisfying circuit. The straight measures 1,236 metres, making it the second longest on the Formula One calendar after Indianapolis. The straight provides 14 full seconds of flat-out racing, with half that time driven in seventh gear. Overall, Monza has the highest full throttle ratio of all Grand Prix circuits at 68 percent. With these challenges in mind, in recent years we have always brought the current engine to this Grand Prix in its latest development stage. In 2004, we will be doing just that with the BMW P84. Last week's Monza test produced positive results in that respect as well. Together with the on-going development of the chassis, we should be in a good position for the race at Monza.

Stats and facts:
- Apart from its awe-inspiring top speeds, the track at Monza is best known for its racing tradition. Nowhere else has staged more Formula One Grands Prix than the Royal Park.

- This year's race will be the 54th Formula One event to be held in Monza. Only one Italian Grand Prix has been staged at another venue, in 1980, at Imola.

- The town of Monza has a population of around 120,000 and is in the province of Milan. The track has undergone frequent modifications over the course of its long history, with the remains of the original steeply banked circuit still standing as a witness to its early days.

- Today, a lap of the Monza circuit covers 5.793kms. Lasting for 53 laps, this year's race will cover a total distance of 306.720kms.

- WilliamsF1 has claimed six Grands Prix wins at Monza, BMW has taken two. The most recent success at Monza for the Anglo-German alliance came in 2001 when Juan Pablo Montoya celebrated his debut Formula One victory at the Italian circuit.

- In 2003, Marc Gené deputised for Ralf Schumacher following the German driver's accident during testing at Monza the week prior to the race. Montoya and Gené qualified in second and fifth places on the grid, and subsequently finished the race in the same positions. The result enabled the BMW WilliamsF1 Team to defend its lead in the 2003 Constructors' World Championship.

- The Italian Grand Prix is the 15th of 18 rounds of the 2004 FIA Formula One World Championship. The race will start at 14:00hrs, local time, on Sunday 12th September.


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## WILLIA///M (Apr 15, 2002)

05.09.2004

*Michael: "Mark and Jenson will be a fantastic combination"*

According to Sam Michael, WilliamsF1's Technical Director, Mark Webber and Jenson Button will be one of the best driver pairings on the 2005 Formula One grid.

Neither 29-year old Webber nor 24-year old Button have won a Grand Prix thus far, but they have gained wide and invaluable experience in Formula One and are regarded as the biggest talents to emerge in recent years.

Consequently, Sam Michael is confident that the Australian-British pairing will fulfil the team's expectations next year.

"I think Mark and Jenson will be a fantastic combination, and that's why we're excited about having them next year - they're both big motivators," says Michael.

Furthermore, the Australian underlines that both Jenson and Mark are far from being rookies, in spite of their youth, and both know how to solve various problems. The 2005 season will be Mark's fourth year of Formula One racing while Jenson will be contesting his sixth season.

"They know how Formula One works and what they have to do to push and win," Michael explained, "And it's something that we're looking forward to starting as soon as possible - they're very much WilliamsF1 type drivers."

Michael is also convinced that the BMW WilliamsF1 Team's new signings will get on well with each other.

"Jenson and Mark have both already supported each other and said 'this guy is the best team-mate I could have'," added Michael. "I don't expect them to be mates and go to the cinema together or anything like that, but I'm sure they will be fiercely competitive."


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## AC (Apr 28, 2002)

Is it just me or does it seem like Jenson will just be smacked around at Williams? Jenson doesn't strike me as a "hard" dude the way Webber might be....


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## SteveT (Dec 22, 2001)

AC said:


> Is it just me or does it seem like Jenson will just be smacked around at Williams? Jenson doesn't strike me as a "hard" dude the way Webber might be....


You might be right. Jenson didn't get "smacked around" in 2000, but the competition was Ralf.


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## AC (Apr 28, 2002)

I was thinking more politically within the team than on the track...


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## SteveT (Dec 22, 2001)

AC said:


> I was thinking more politically within the team than on the track...


I know what you mean. I thought Williams took better care of Button than he got at Benetton. Of course he was really young. He seemed to me to be lost in the team and on the track at Benetton. He seemed to suffer overall in 2001. He did better when they became Renault in 2002. Then his teammate was Trulli and not Fisi. So the teammate might make a difference.


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## berford (Sep 10, 2002)

SteveT said:


> I know what you mean. I thought Williams took better care of Button than he got at Benetton. Of course he was really young. He seemed to me to be lost in the team and on the track at Benetton. He seemed to suffer overall in 2001. He did better when they became Renault in 2002. Then his teammate was Trulli and not Fisi. So the teammate might make a difference.


From Planet-F1:

*Button: 'My rivalry with Mark will help Williams'*

Wednesday September 08 2004



Email UsChat ForumMail articlePrint article
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********>********>*Jenson Button is looking forward to linking up with Mark Webber at Williams next year, having already gotten to know the Aussie well during their time together at Renault.*

Both drivers were members of the team in 2001, with Button, who was in his second year in F1, one of Renault's race drivers and Webber, who had yet to make his F1 debut, the team's official test driver. Next year, though, the duo will be on a more equal footing as both have been signed as full-time drivers with the BMW Williams team.

"We are both really looking forward to it. He has had a good career, not just in Formula One but in other formulas," Button said of his 2005 team-mate. "He is a very serious guy, he is very focused on his job."

Button added that he believed the competition between himself and Webber would prove to be a positive factor for Williams' 2005 Championship campaign.

"Both of us being in the same team is only going to help the team and ourselves because we are going to push each other on and that's what the team needs," he concluded. *End of article.*

*Sorry the ad came along with it.*


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## Mr. E (Dec 19, 2001)

I don't know where development on the FW27 stands right now, but looking at the pattern of the past few years (excluding this one). It's pretty much gone like this:

Williams debuts FWXX car at the beginning of the season 
Car is off the pace. Team goes to work sorting it. 
Team makes noticeable progress several races into the season. 
By the late part of the season, Williams is doing well. 
Ferrari wins the championship. 
 It's such a shame that since this year is effectively over, Williams can't or won't bring out the FW27 NOW and begin tweaking it during the last races of this season. It seems that would give them a leg up on the competition out of the gate next year.

Then again, who knows what kind of rule changes the FIA has in store for next year.


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## WILLIA///M (Apr 15, 2002)

Mr. E said:


> It's such a shame that since this year is effectively over, Williams can't or won't bring out the FW27 NOW and begin tweaking it during the last races of this season. It seems that would give them a leg up on the competition out of the gate next year.
> 
> Then again, who knows what kind of rule changes the FIA has in store for next year.


I agree, they should race the 2.4L V8 and the all race weekend set of tires now. :angel:

And BMW is again threatening to leave F1 if the new engine rules are adopted.


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## berford (Sep 10, 2002)

*JPM and AP moved up from the first practice session...need to keep up that trend tomorrow.*

*Times:*
01. RAIKKONEN McLaren 1'20"846
02. BARRICHELLO Ferrari 1'20"899
03. M.SCHUMACHER Ferrari 1'21"080
04. BUTTON BAR 1'21"124 
05. PIZZONIA Williams 1'21"264
06. SATO BAR 1'21"313
07. MONTOYA Williams 1'21"419
08. DAVIDSON BAR 1'21"544
09. ALONSO Renault 1'21"630
10. COULTHARD McLaren 1'22"052
11. TRULLI Renault 1'22"191
12. BRISCOE Toyota 1'22"197
13. MASSA Sauber 1'22"258
14. ZONTA Toyota 1'22"298
15. FISICHELLA Sauber 1'22"302
16. GLOCK Jordan 1'22"332
17. WEBBER Jaguar 1'22"392
18. PANIS Toyota 1'22"813
19. WIRDHEIM Jaguar 1'22"914
20. KLIEN Jaguar 1'23"199
21. PANTANO Jordan 1'23"818
22. LEINDERS Minardi 1'24"045
23. BAUMGARTNER Minardi 1'24"063
24. BRUNI Minardi 1'24"225


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## SteveT (Dec 22, 2001)

What makes you guys think that Williams can bring out the FW27 now? They are continuing to develop the FW26. If they continue at their normal pace, the FW27 isn't ready to be tested let alone raced. As you say, rule changes might make the car useless for next year anyway. McLaren, in their debacle of MP4-18, -19, whatever, has spent a ton of money. They won a race, but they won't win the championship will they?

Willia//M, why should they race a 2.4L V8? Please tell me. I don't think we will see a BMW 2.4L V8 in F1. From what I've heard Mario Theissen say, BMW is not interested in a V8 in F1. From the quotes, it sounds like they will go somewhere else to race if that's the end of the Mosley stupidity. The 2.4L V8 F1 motor is going to cost a lot to design, build and develop and it's not going to push the state-of-the-art anywhere. The next step will be that everyone's got to run a DFV equivalent so everybody's got the exact same engine.


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## WILLIA///M (Apr 15, 2002)

SteveT said:


> Willia//M, why should they race a 2.4L V8? Please tell me. .


Ummm... I think it's called sarcasm. 

Why would think I was serious unless you think I'm a total idiot of a racing fan? :dunno:


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## F1Crazy (Dec 11, 2002)

I think the reasons behind the engine changes were supposed to be reducing cost and reducing speeds. OK, I understand that going away with some exotic materials, limiting the parts that engineers can develop may bring significant savings but cutting off 2 cylinders? What kind of savings can you expect from that? Manufacturers would have to start from scratch and it is costly. 

The reduced power of the 2.4L V8 will slow the cars in the straight line but it's not where the danger is. The cornering speeds and braking are the reason for these very fast laps we see lately and most of the accidents take place in corners or under braking. 
The way to slow cars down is to lower downforce and bring harder compound tires. The latter can easily be done by seriously limiting the number of tires per weekend as proposed by Michelin.

I assume that linking F1 with road cars is what's behind V10 engine in upcoming M5. Can you imagine how pissed off BMW must be after spending all that money on developing roadgoing V10 to justify their $150mil/year F1 budget only to see Max fock it all up?!


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## SteveT (Dec 22, 2001)

WILLIA///M said:


> Ummm... I think it's called sarcasm.
> 
> Why would think I was serious unless you think I'm a total idiot of a racing fan? :dunno:


William///M, sorry I took you too literally.



> I think the reasons behind the engine changes were supposed to be reducing cost and reducing speeds.


F1Crazy, True, but Theissen said that developing a 2.4L V8 will cost a lot of money by itself. Right now, unless they change the formula for the V10 too much, the V10 development is not too expensive. As you say, they are also trying to bring the V10 to their customers and the V8 just doesn't have the same excitement.


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## tim330i (Dec 18, 2001)

*Italian GP - Qualifying* 
09/11/2004

Weather: Sunny, dry. Air 26-27°C, Track 34-40°C, Humidity 43-45% 
Monza (ITA). The Autodromo di Monza once again proved to be a good circuit for the BMW WilliamsF1 Team, with Juan Pablo Montoya qualifying second and team-mate Antonio Pizzonia eighth. The team will start from the front row for the fourth time this season, the third for Juan Pablo after Spain and Germany. In pre-qualifying Montoya also set the fastest lap ever in an F1 car at the average speed of 262,242km/h.

Juan Pablo Montoya: 2nd (1.20,620 min)
Chassis: FW26 05 (T-car FW06)
The team did a very good job today and we had two good qualifying sessions. My final qualifying lap was not the best, because I pushed very hard and made too many mistakes, but even if it had been perfect I still think Ferrari would be ahead, Rubens put in a very good lap! It is a positive result for our team, especially because the top times are very close together here. We will see how the race goes and what strategy Ferrari are on. I also started second last year so I really cannot complain! We had three good days of testing here last week, and they seem to have really paid off.

Antonio Pizzonia: 8th (1.20,888 min)
Chassis: FW26 07 
After a very good pre-qualifying I had a slightly less successful final qualifying lap, but I am still quite happy because I know I have a good race car. Eighth is still a good position to start from and still a reasonable gift for my birthday. The top ten positions are very close. Unfortunately I made a small mistake in the middle sector which cost me probably a few positions but still I know that we have a consistent pace for tomorrow's race and a good strategy.

Sam Michael (Technical Director, WilliamsF1):
It was a good qualifying session from both of our drivers and it is good to be back on the front row. Monza is a hard circuit on the brakes and on the engine. We spent a lot of time to prepare ourselves in the test last week and also in the free practice sessions. Now we are looking forward to a good race tomorrow but it will be interesting to see what the weather will be like.

Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Director):
I am satisfied so far. Setting the fastest lap times in pre-qualifying meant we secured the best starting positions for the final qualifying. Both drivers were brilliant in sectors one and three, but lost fractions in the middle sector. Starting from the front row gives Juan excellent chances for the race. Antonio was just two tenths of a second slower than him and yet he lines up only eighth. This shows how tight the competition is here in Monza. Obviously we are pleased to have shown a strong performance so far on what is known as an engine circuit par excellence.


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## Pinecone (Apr 3, 2002)

And MS played it perfectly to be on the good side of the track.


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## berford (Sep 10, 2002)

Pinecone said:


> And MS played it perfectly to be on the good side of the track.


Do you seriously think he would rather be P3 than P2? Like he let off just a little knowing that JPM (or someone else [but only one driver] qualifying later) would beat his time but not RB's. Not likely, IMO.


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## racerdave (Sep 15, 2003)

F1Crazy said:


> That was the best Ferrari race of the season, they are in a different league!
> 
> Let's face it, it's up to other teams to bring the fight to Ferrari and they haven't done so in years. It's a pity for us fans but it's hard to blame scuderia for producing more and more dominant cars. I thought that F2002 was the best of all time till I saw what F2004 did this year...
> 
> ...


:stupid:

At the rate MS caught RB from being miles behind, he could've probably took him.

But anyway, cheers to RB. It was refreshing to here a coherent, and somewhat effusive post-race interview. Beats the h3ll out of MS's usual pablum and KR's monosyllabic gruntings.

:thumbup:


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