Earlier this week, Toyota boss Tsutomu Tomita admitted to having suffered a difficult year. "It is fair to say that all of us are disappointed and frustrated that we have not been able to get better results in 2004," he said.

Days later, BMW Motorsport has voiced similar frustration.

Since our return to Formula One in 2000 we have always achieved our set targets," said the German. "From our very first race, we surpassed all our expectations. However, for the very first time in 2004 we have failed to reach the goals we set ourselves at the start of the season.

"After promising tests at the beginning of the year, expectations were high. But even in the very first Grand Prix in Australia we realised that our rivals had made a bigger step forward than we had," he continued.

"WilliamsF1 had tried something totally different with a new concept including the radical new nose. It's always easier afterwards to say that we should have chosen a different route, but we didn't simply want to close the gap to the opposition - we wanted to overtake them. That means you have to take certain risks, that's why we backed WilliamsF1 all the way.

"Unfortunately it turned out that the disadvantages on the racetrack outweighed the advantages of the concept that had won in the wind tunnel. The new nose had mixed outcomes, but ultimately it was changed to enable new developments. WilliamsF1 responded with an enormous show of strength. There was a restructuring within the team and the chassis department arrived at nearly every Grand Prix with something new."

Certainly, WilliamsF1 had more than its fair share of bad luck this season.

"There were other areas which didn't make the season any easier," added Theissen. "Ralf's accident at Indianapolis, and his subsequent 14-week convalescence break, hurt the team. Furthermore, we had three disqualifications to deal with.

"Generally we were in an unusual situation with our drivers as both will leave the team at the end of the season. Although the team and its drivers coped relatively well with everything, the situation didn't help us.

"In 2005 certain things must and will change," he warned. "Technically WilliamsF1's new wind tunnel and further optimisation of the resource cross-linking at Munich and Grove should be fruitful. The new drivers will give a boost in motivation to the whole team. With these ingredients we intend to close the gap to the front runners and fight for race wins next year."

Of course, Theissen, like the rest of us, isn't yet fully aware who those 'new drivers' will be, as it will be several more hours before the Contract Recognition Board makes its findings (re Jenson Button's contract) public.