European GP – Williams in the Unknown, but Motivated!

Williams resumes this weekend along with the other nine teams of the 2008 lineup for the second part of the season. On the agenda, seven races to finish the 2008 championship in the best positions.

After a sporty yet relaxing vacation for the blue and white team, the first stop will be Valencia in Spain, a new urban circuit, replacing the famous Nurburgring for the European Grand Prix.

It’s the second time this year that the Formula One Circus will head to the Iberian Peninsula and to inaugurate this new modern track worthy of Monaco, the British team will be eager to leave its mark.

Nico Rosberg:

« I took advantage of the vacation; I went to relax for a few weeks in the Alps, I saw my family, my friends but most importantly, I underwent an intense training! »

I can’t wait to be on the new Valencia circuit. It looks amazing, especially with the many Spanish fans, and I think this track will suit our car. Therefore, I have high expectations for this weekend and hope we’ll leave here with only positive points.

Kazuki Nakajima:

« I am eager to race here. The track looks very interesting, and just like in Montreal or Monaco, we perform well on street circuits. So I hope to make something happen in Valencia. »

« It is certainly a new circuit, but I don’t think it will take me too long to get used to this track. »

Regarding vacations, I was able to return to Japan to see my loved ones, and it felt great. Now, I’m looking forward to one thing, getting back to the season!

Sam Michael – Technical Director

« The urban circuit of Valencia is a significant new addition to the calendar for the drivers and teams. It’s a new circuit. Therefore, one must be cautious, but it brings a lot of interesting things, whether for the drivers or the engineers. »

« For the drivers, there are 25 turns in one lap. This means they have to stay constantly focused to avoid hitting a wall. »

« For the engineers, the long straight lines mixed with numerous turns give us a complicated aerodynamic package to set up, especially since we are currently lacking data on this track. It will be better after the first free practice session. We will then know which type of tire is preferred and their degradation. »