28/07/2006
NEWS STORY
Sam Michael, Technical Director, WilliamsF1: "Alex had a good morning doing the tyre comparisons and he completed two sets of long runs in the afternoon session on intermediate tyres and one of the race compounds, so he spent the second session with race fuel loads and his long run times look good. Nico had an accident this morning when he made a mistake under braking for turn two and although everyone worked hard, we couldn't finish the repairs in time to get him out for second practice. Mark did one run in the second session to check his car balance. We have had a productive day and have plenty of data to look through tonight."
Alex Wurz: "I had a very good day and I'm really happy. The morning session went totally according to plan with our tyre evaluation. I was pleased to achieve a 1.16.3 on a colder, greener morning track and this afternoon we focused on long runs. The first run was on intermediate tyres and then I did a very long run on one of the potential race tyres, which was consistent and allowed me to push. I'm almost sure I was the heaviest car out there, so all in all, I am delighted with how today has gone."
Mark Webber: "Weather conditions didn't allow us to get as much running as we might have liked today. We would ideally have had a bit more running this afternoon when the track dried up, but ultimately we only managed to get one run in at the end of the session in the conditions that represent what we expect in the race. That said, we've got plenty of information to look at from Alex's car, and we will do more running tomorrow morning anyway, despite the potentially cooler track conditions which don't tend to represent what we usually expect in the race."
Nico Rosberg: "Today was a disappointing day for me, I guess, with basically no driving at all. After I crashed this morning, the mechanics worked flat out on my car to repair the damage but could not fix it in time for me to go out in the second session. It's a pity, but I will compensate with some extra running in tomorrow's practice session."
Chris Jilbert, Principal Engineer, F1 Race Engineering, Cosworth: "There we no issues today with either of the CA2006 Series 6 engines as they start their second race duty following the Magny-Cours GP. Nico's engine was checked for damage following his crash during the first session and all appears well. Alex also enjoyed a trouble free day."
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