Williams confident of win number three

After Ralf Schumacher's victory in the high-speed Canadian and Imola Grands Prix, the Anglo-German outfit is in no doubt of its chances in Germany.

"The high-speed Hockenheim circuit, with its long straights, should suit us," said BMW motorsport director Dr Mario Theissen. "The season so far has shown we are very well prepared in terms of engine power, and engine-wise Hockenheim is the most demanding circuit. There is a high proportion of driving under full load and the use of high revs for a long time as well. For this reason, Hockenheim is the reference circuit for our engine on the test bench.

"We have had a very intensive test at Monza, where we worked on further development of engine functions and prepared ourselves for Hockenheim using the characteristics of the Italian track, which are similar."

Driver Juan Pablo Montoya echoed the German's sentiments after a positive test in Italy this week.

"The Monza test has been extremely useful for us," said Montoya, "because our performance in Germany will depend on many of the factors we see at Monza, such as the importance of fuel levels. All in all, we have a good car and should be competitive there."

Sam Michael, the team's chief operations engineer, said of Hockenheim: "Tyre selection will be crucial and Michelin are taking two tyres that we know. Rear tyre degradation is usually an issue here, but it maybe less so this year thanks to traction control. It is a circuit that no team tests on so you have to react quickly during the practice sessions, particularly with tyre compound choice. Our drivers will be looking forward to plenty of overtaking opportunities because of the long straights."

The team's double Grand Prix winner, Ralf Schumacher, sounded a word of warning, however, saying it was important to find a good compromise on set-up and that the weather at his home race could play its part too.

"The most difficult thing is to achieve the right car set-up, as you have to find enough downforce for the twisty motodrome section and high speed for the long straights," he said. "As long as it doesn't rain we should be well prepared for this race."