Williams remains buoyant

The team missed out on 12 points at the Canadian Grand Prix earlier this month when a post-race technical inspection discovered brake duct irregularities on the FW26s of both Ralf Schumacher and Juan Pablo Montoya.

A week on and the team were dealt a further blow with Schumacher's horrific high-speed accident and Montoya's disqualification after breaching the rules at the start of the race.

But the team is remaining positive and hope new developments, which have been tested at Jerex this week, will return it to the sharp end once again.

"After two disappointing races in North America, where the car was competitive but we didn't score points for various reasons, we are looking forward to going to Magny-Cours," said technical chief Sam Michael.

"For Magny-Cours, we will have several aerodynamic improvements on the car, part of our on-going development programme to enhance the performance of the FW26. We have also made some mechanical changes which should improve our competitiveness, particularly around this type of circuit."

Montoya is particularly keen to put the last two races behind him and is confident of a solid race in Magny-Cours. But the Colombian acknowledges that a repeat of last year's Williams one-two will be a tall order.

"I think the US Grand Prix is cursed for me. Last year in Indy I lost any chance of winning the drivers' championship and this year... well, you know!" he said. "However, we are now facing another two back-to-back races and I am confident we can finally get it right at Magny-Cours and at Silverstone.

" It is important to always look ahead in this business. In 2003, Ralf and I qualified first and second respectively at Magny-Cours, and we crossed the line in first and second. This might be difficult to achieve again this year, but we know we usually perform well at this track. We must now return to form and make up for the points we've lost as a result of factors unrelated to our track performance."