Passion of the Month

My passion this month is BMW Williams F1 team. I love seeing the F1 race since it first started racing in Malaysia. I use to root for McLaren but this year they are not doing so hot and the cars this year are not reliable. BMW Williams this year are doing great! Although their car are not that reliable also but the drivers are doing great this year.

Take Ralf for instance. He won the Canadian GP and he was ahead of his brother. He used his brother racing tactics. The pit stop. Ralf is the younger brother of F1 champion 2000 Michael Schumacher. He is following his brother's foot step quite well and I think he will be like his big brother Michael. Take my word!!!

The other team mate of Ralf is Juan Pablo Montoya. This is Montoya's first year in the F1 race although he has been the BMW William's F1 test driver before. So far Montoya has only finish 1 race but he has potential of becoming a great F1 driver.

Team Boss : Frank Williams

Driver 1 : Ralf Schumacher

Driver 2 : Juan Pablo Montoya

Managing Director: Frank Williams
Technical Director: Patrick Head
BMW Motorsport Director: Gerhard Berger
Dr. Mario Theissen
BMW Engine Development: Dr. Werner Laurenz
Chief Operations Engineer: Sam Michael
Team Manager: Dickie Stanford
Race Engineer: Craig Wilson
Race Engineer: Tim Preston
Chief Designer: Gavin Fisher
Chief Aerodynamicist: Geoff Willis
Test Team Manager: Tim Newton
Drivers: Ralf Schumacher
Juan Pablo Montoya
Test Driver: Marc Gene

Team BMW Williams F1:

BMW, Compaq, Castrol, Michelin, Petrobras, Allianz, Veltins, Accenture, Nortel Networks,Reuters, 11880.com, WorldCom, Matsuura, Willy Bogner GmbH, MAN Nutzfahrzseuge AG, Du Pont, OZ Racing, Comm-line, Intel, Diversey Lever

2001 Engine

Engine Design : 10-cylinder V-design normal aspiration engine
Cylinder angle: 90 degrees
Capacity: 2998 cc
Valve: Four per cylinder
Valve Drive: Pneumatic
Engine block: Aluminium
Cylinder head: Aluminium
Crankshaft: Steel
Oil System: Dry sump lubrication
Engine management: BMW

2001 Car

Model: FW23
Transmission: WilliamsF1 semiautomatic
Clutch: AP
Chassis: Carbon Aramid epoxy composite, manufactured by WilliamsF1
Suspension: WilliamsF1
Steering: WilliamsF1
Cooling system: Two water radiators, two oil radiators either side of the chassis
Brakes: Carbon discs and pads operated by AP calipers
Lubricants: Castrol
Fuel: Petrobras
Wheels: O.Z.; 13x12 front, 13x13.7 rear
Tyres: Michelin Pilot
Cockpit Instrumentation: WilliamsF1 digital data display
Steering Wheel: WilliamsF1
Driver's seat: Anatomically formed in carbon/epoxy composite material with Alcantara covering
Extinguisher Systems: WilliamsF1/Safety Devices
Paint System: DuPont Cromax
Front Track: 1460mm
Rear Track: 1400mm
Wheelbase: 3140mm
Weight: 600 Kg including driver and camera weight
Overall Car Length: 4540 mm

Ralf Schumacher

Team : Williams

Date of Birth: 30 June 1975
Nationality : German

Car Number : 5

Marital Status : Engaged

Personal Profile

    Michael Schumacher's little brother, Ralf, began his Formula1 career in 1997 with the Jordan team, where he stayed for two years. He was initially known for his reckless moves and crashes, but gradually he began to carve out a reputation as a talented young driver.

    His dissatisfaction with the Irish team grew, until his brother helped him to negotiate a place at Williams for 1999. This was year that Ralf Schumacher really came into his own. It began in well in Melbourne, where he finished third for his new team. He followed this with fourth place in Brazil and from then on whenever the young German did cross the finishing line it was in a point scoring position, apart from one hiccough in Germany. He showed a maturity of driving he had not previously displayed and won many plaudits for his strong performances in the difficult FW21.

    Where experienced team mate Alex Zanardi struggled, and eventually decided to give up the fight, Ralf flourished and scored all 35 points that the Williams team acquired. It could all have been so different after the acrimony of his split with Jordan in 1998, who he had to sue so as to extricate himself from his contract. He came extremely close to taking his first win at the European Grand Prix, only to have his hopes dashed by a puncture, but he still hung on for fourth place.

    He continued to do well in 2000 at Williams, again taking third place in the first race of the season, and initially setting himself apart as the quicker driver in the team. As he accrued experience Jenson Button began to gain on Ralf, and the young German apeared to begin to lose focus at the end of the season. However, he still finished fifth in the drivers' championship with 24 points, and was the only Williams driver to appear on the podium.

    His team mate for 2001, Juan Pablo Montoya, is expected to be an aggressive challenger, and Ralf will need every ounce of his talent and mental strength to keep his place as Williams' lead driver. The atmosphere between the two is already relatively cool although Ralf has mainly had the upper hand in preseason testing.

Juan Pablo Montoya

Team: Williams
Date of Birth: 20 September 1975
Nationality: Colombian
Car Number: 6
Marital Status: Single

Personal Profile

    After the hype surrounding his signing to the Williams team, Juan Pablo Montoya must expect to come under scrutiny in 2001. The 25-year-old Colombian has some Formula1 experience under his belt, but only as a test driver for Williams in 1997, and his most recent learning curve has taken place in CART, where he won the Championship at his first attempt in 1999.

    With the less than successful transfer to Formula1 of double CART champion, Alex Zanardi, still a vivid memory, Montoya will be watched closely by all for any sign of a flaw. However, there is no denying that the Colombian has more than his fair share of natural talent and is a quick and smooth driver, but he has become accustomed to the more aggressive ChampCar and may find the nervous Formula1 machine a bigger challenge.

    Team mate, Ralf Schumacher, is also determined to prevent his top status within the Grove based team being usurped. However, the Colombian has proved quick in winter testing, and has gone faster than Schumacher already. Ultimately Monotya had been tipped to be a potential rival for Michael Schumacher, and he already looks like developing into a promising Formula1 driver.