Belgium Preview Quotes: Williams

Mark Webber: "Clearly Spa is one of the most spectacular circuits we go to all year and I've always enjoyed driving an F1 car there. It has everything. It's very quick, hugely challenging, the location is great and the undulations are absolutely fantastic. At this time of year, the weather can play a big part of the weekend so you never really know what's going to happen. I've driven in races there when it's been raining on one part of the circuit and dry in another. That only creates a problem though when visibility is bad, which it can be coming back from the Bus Stop from Blanchimont, and into Eau Rouge as well. Then Spa is dangerous. I'm not worried about rain though, last year was wet and it was fine. I also always enjoy driving long, fast laps in a race, which Spa demands, so I'm really looking forward to it."

Sam Michael (Technical Director, WilliamsF1): "With so much natural terrain creating challenging corners and sequences for the drivers and engineers, Spa is a truly great circuit. Of course Eau Rouge and Blanchimont are great corners, but there is so much more to the track. The Bus Stop chicane, for example, has created some fantastic overtaking situations in the past. Set-up is geared towards high and medium speed stability to ensure that when the cars make their way back from the far stretches of the circuit they are quick through the flowing parts of the track. At the same time, the car must be strong over the curbs through the chicane. The weather will also play a significant role over the weekend, with rain sometime falling on different parts of the circuit while not on others. We have further aerodynamic developments to the rear of the FW27 for this race and Michelin will be bringing two new tyre compounds for us to select from."

Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Director): "These days, the term 'natural circuit' applies to only one Formula One track, and that's Spa-Francorchamps. Firstly, the track follows the landscape rather than the other way round. Secondly, the austerity of the Ardennes can throw up sudden weather changes that are very hard to forecast. Last year, wets were needed for qualifying. Spa demands a great deal from the BMW engines. The engines running in our cars in Spa will be the two that have already completed the Monza race. At 1,821 metres, Eau Rouge is the longest full-throttle section of the season, if taken flat out. In addition, Spa has a number of gradients making it a great challenge for both drivers and technology."