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Montreal 04

Air Canada

13/06/2004

12/06/2004

BMW WilliamsF1 Qualifying Report

BMW WilliamsF1 Qualifying Report

With a brilliant lap by Ralf Schumacher in final qualifying for tomorrow's Canadian Grand Prix the BMW WilliamsF1 Team achieved their 16th pole position since the beginning of the Anglo-German partnership and the first one of the 2004 season. The last time the team's car was on pole was at the 2003 German Grand Prix in Hockenheim. Ralf Schumacher scored the 5th pole of his Formula One career and his second consecutive pole on the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. His team mate Juan Pablo Montoya qualified fourth.

Ralf Schumacher:
"I am surprised about this brilliant result, since we struggled quite a lot yesterday and this morning. But the team did a great job in getting the car right which allowed me to achieve this unexpected pole. The car started to feel very well in the pre-qualifying session and it was very good in qualifying too. We have really turned the set-up around and we have definitely found the right one. When I saw that Michael had qualified sixth I started thinking I could do it. It is going to be a great race tomorrow, also because all the cars on Michelin tyres seem to be very consistent. I am looking forward to it."

Juan Pablo Montoya:
"I am a bit disappointed with my result because I could have achieved more. Unlike yesterday and this morning, my car was feeling pretty good in qualifying but I made a couple of mistakes and I had to pay for that. I locked the rear wheels into the hairpin and lost some valuable time there. Ralf did a great job and put a good lap in. We have worked very hard on the car since yesterday and it's clear that we have moved forward. Both Ralf and myself are in a very good position for the race. Let's see how it goes."

Sam Michael (Technical Director, WilliamsF1):
"We had a lot of work to do from where we were yesterday to now, in particular on brakes and set-up. The team did a very good job to get the cars to where they are, and it was a fantastic lap by Ralf. We are looking forward to a really competitive race tomorrow."

Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Director):
"Of course, this is a fantastic result for the team. In the pre-qualifying both drivers were very fast and satisfied with their cars. Ralf later had a perfect lap, he made the most out of it. The positions one and four are the best so far this season for us and we are very happy. I think here in Montreal four teams will be able to fight for victory."