LONDON, 25 March 2004 — Williams expect little advantage from being the only Formula One team with experience of Bahrain’s new circuit before the inaugural Grand Prix there next week.
The race at the $150 million Sakhir track is next up on April 4 and will be Formula One’s first appearance in the Middle East.
Spanish test driver Marc Gene took the 2003 Williams FW25 around it for 25 laps last Wednesday at the official opening ceremony.
“I don’t think it will be anything that will be enormous in terms of having a clear advantage through practice or anything like that,” said technical director Patrick Head of the information gleaned by Gene.
“Clearly we will know a little bit more about corner speeds and ratios and things like that.
“But the car that we were running was last year’s FW25 and I’d be very disappointed if we’re not a lot quicker there with the FW26.
“If we have an advantage, it will be pretty small and, by the time we start the second practice on Friday, it will have disappeared.”
Williams are fighting to keep up with Ferrari and six-times world champion Michael Schumacher, who have won both the races so far this season. Bahrain, with high temperatures and the danger of sand blowing around, will be a challenge to all 10 teams.
Head said the track had also been so dusty and dirty, with some sand blowing around, that Gene’s experience did not have a lot of relevance, although grip levels were a lot better than expected.
