In preparation for the 2005 season opener in Melbourne in just under three weeks, the BMW WilliamsF1 Team has spent the past three days in Barcelona developing the Williams BMW FW27. The team's drivers, Mark Webber, Nick Heidfeld and Antonio Pizzonia, were all present at the Spanish track to undertake testing duties and covered a combined total of over 2,200kms over the three days.

The team will now travel to Valencia for a five day test commencing on Sunday 20th February. Valencia will be the final opportunity for the team to test prior to the first race of the season.

Sam Michael (Technical Director, WilliamsF1): "Today we finished the three day test in Barcelona with all three of our drivers. We concentrated on longer runs for stabilised temperature data, which is important to categorise the cooling exits we will require in the initial races of the season."

Michael added, "It was also important to do some set-up work on the tyre compounds that we will be taking to Melbourne. Although it's not normal to test street circuit compounds at Barcelona, it appears that the track resurfacing has changed the energy input by enough to shift the compound level. We did not encounter any major mechanical problems with the car."

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