Prospects of the Bmw WilliamsF1 Team?

[Dirim]

Let's get some action to this forum. What do you guys foresee for the BMW WilliamsF1 Team in 2003? Will they catchup with Ferrari or fight to preserve their 2nd place?

[kevin034]

Fight for 2nd place.

Ferrari = 1st in manufacturer.
MS = 1st in drivers.

Why don't we just celebrate Ferrari's victory at the beginning of the season? This way we can cut out all the BS that'll eventually lead to the same conclusion anyways.

[pdiack]

Unless there are any rules changes that are aimed at restricting the Ferrari dominance - I would say Williams is aiming for 2nd this year.

I wish otherwise, some parity in F1 would be a welcome thing.

[johann]

I read some quotes from Frank Williams & Mario Thiessen that were in the lines of BMW Williams not being able to seriosly threat Ferrari this season either.

Cheers,
/Johan

[Dirim]

I think they need to address the following problems before they can mount serious challenge to Ferrari.

1) Williams chassis is still inferior to that of Ferrari and possibly the McLaren as well.

2) BMW engine is less reliable than the Ferrari engine.

3) Ralf and JPM make far more errors on the track than MS and RB.

4) Ferrari's race strategy generally turns out to be the better one.

5) Ferrari has a better team spirit and cooperation.

Regards,

Ufuk

[Aviator]

I was just reading the Nov/Dec issue of F1 magazine and there are rumors that BMW will buy out Williams to make better chasis. Also new rules will take effect next season. Different tires for each team will be allowed so BMW no longer has to share tires with McLaren/Mercades, this should narrow the gap as Michael S. has tires designed to his specifications. Also the qualifing will now be one lap hot lap, not average. Testing during the season will also have a 25 mil price tag, but if one foregoes this there is an extra 2 hrs of testing on race friday at the track. It is worth picking up an issue of the mag to read the specifics. But, if anyone has questions I could answer them with text from the articles if possible.

[vadas1]

I think the tyre issue will tend to equalize the top 3 teams thus allowing Williams to close the gap on Ferrari but the one to watch is MaClaren because a season like 2002 only happens rarely.



ralph (vadas1)

[pzierz]

Unless there are some significant rule changes to shake things up, nobody will be able pose a credible threat to Ferrari's combination of superior performance, reliability, and drivers.

I went to the Spanish GP and the US GP last year. From my vantage point in Barcelona I could look down on a set of shikanes. Schumacher (Michael of course, the other is 'Ralf') would go around those curves with mechanical precision. His wheels never touched the rumble strips, but were a fraction of an inch from them (optimal!). There was no swerve coming off either curve as he tried to set up for the next one. I watched him do this lap after lap while EVERY OTHER CAR AND EVERY OTHER DRIVER hit those rumble zones and swerved fighting to keep control setting up for the next curve.

Even if BMW takes over from McLaren, etc., Ferrari has such a lead in technology (not to mention their drivers skill) that they can't catch up in a year or even two. And let's not forget the special relationship that brings tires designed and optimized to work on the Ferrari's. Historically, when one team gets this dominant it takes changes in the rules to throw things off and give everyone a chance to be competitive again. From what I hear, nothing dramatic is planned on that front.

Very disappointing. It was a pretty boring season last year and more of the same is going to hurt the sport and drive away fans.

BTW, Rubens is obviously a darn good driver though his personality keeps him in the background. I just can't believe it's ALL in the the cars. But who knows.

Ralf is just not aggressive enough while his brother is on the track. Montoya has definitely matured, but now has to develop the skills required to become a consistent winner. He doesn't yet have the discipline to keep a car running through an entire race (unless a fluke). He's too hard on them. That's another advantage Schumacher has. Personally, I think he's Borg!