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Ralf steers clear of predictions at BMW Williams winter party
Seefeld, Dec 07: BMW Motor Sport enjoys winter party and Ralf Schumacher and Juan Pablo Montoya speak about future.
Seefeld, Dec 07: BMW Motor Sport enjoys winter party and Ralf Schumacher and Juan Pablo Montoya speak about future.
BMW Williams will launch their new vehicle on January 5, two months before the season begins on March 7 with the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne, so the team has been busy testing -- but not so busy that they couldn't enjoy a winter party recently in the Austrian resort of Seefeld. The stars of the festivities were drivers Ralf Schumacher and Juan Pablo Montoya, who had a go at various events on the ice including driving, hockey and cycling. Both will be with Williams next season, but Montoya goes to McLaren in 2005. Schumacher, when asked about his future, replied: "I can't tell for the moment, we're still negotiating with the team and still with our people as well and the outcome I can't tell. I mean we are basically happy in the team, I am, but you never can tell." Juan Pablo Montoya was a title contender with Williams until the very end of last season, but then finished third overall behind Ferrari's six-time champion Michael Schumacher and McLaren's Kimi Raikkonen.
Montoya said of next season: "Motivation for me is not where am I racing but the racing itself -- and I'm racing trying to win. And this year we were very close to winning the championship and I think next year we will have a better chance and I think if the chance is there you cannot waste it and I'm willing to give 100 per cent for the championship."
Formula One's carmakers and commercial rights holders hailed a breakthrough deal on Thursday (December 4) that looked likely to end the threat of a breakaway championship.
The carmakers, represented by the GPWC Holdings company who had threatened to form their own series, said in a statement that they had made significant progress in a meeting with banks and Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone.
It said the participants had agreed to prepare a Memorandum of Understanding before the end of the year "regarding the future structure of Formula One".
No details of the "breakthrough" were immediately available but a source close to the negotiations told reporters: "This is a win-win for all concerned, the banks for Bernie and the carmakers.
"There is certainly no more threat of a breakaway series."
The source said the banks had effectively agreed to sell their shares to the carmakers and the next stage was for the transaction to be finalised.
The GPWC -- which groups carmakers BMW, DaimlerChrysler, Ferrari, Ford and Renault -- wants a far greater share of Formula One's revenues and last July set a year-end deadline for a deal over the sport's future.
Ford own Jaguar and provide engines to Jordan and Minardi while BMW are engine partners with Williams and DaimlerChrysler own a stake in McLaren.
Bureau Report
BMW Williams will launch their new vehicle on January 5, two months before the season begins on March 7 with the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne, so the team has been busy testing -- but not so busy that they couldn't enjoy a winter party recently in the Austrian resort of Seefeld. The stars of the festivities were drivers Ralf Schumacher and Juan Pablo Montoya, who had a go at various events on the ice including driving, hockey and cycling. Both will be with Williams next season, but Montoya goes to McLaren in 2005. Schumacher, when asked about his future, replied: "I can't tell for the moment, we're still negotiating with the team and still with our people as well and the outcome I can't tell. I mean we are basically happy in the team, I am, but you never can tell." Juan Pablo Montoya was a title contender with Williams until the very end of last season, but then finished third overall behind Ferrari's six-time champion Michael Schumacher and McLaren's Kimi Raikkonen.
Montoya said of next season: "Motivation for me is not where am I racing but the racing itself -- and I'm racing trying to win. And this year we were very close to winning the championship and I think next year we will have a better chance and I think if the chance is there you cannot waste it and I'm willing to give 100 per cent for the championship."
Formula One's carmakers and commercial rights holders hailed a breakthrough deal on Thursday (December 4) that looked likely to end the threat of a breakaway championship.
The carmakers, represented by the GPWC Holdings company who had threatened to form their own series, said in a statement that they had made significant progress in a meeting with banks and Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone.
It said the participants had agreed to prepare a Memorandum of Understanding before the end of the year "regarding the future structure of Formula One".
No details of the "breakthrough" were immediately available but a source close to the negotiations told reporters: "This is a win-win for all concerned, the banks for Bernie and the carmakers.
"There is certainly no more threat of a breakaway series."
The source said the banks had effectively agreed to sell their shares to the carmakers and the next stage was for the transaction to be finalised.
The GPWC -- which groups carmakers BMW, DaimlerChrysler, Ferrari, Ford and Renault -- wants a far greater share of Formula One's revenues and last July set a year-end deadline for a deal over the sport's future.
Ford own Jaguar and provide engines to Jordan and Minardi while BMW are engine partners with Williams and DaimlerChrysler own a stake in McLaren.
Bureau Report