By Nikki Reynolds, F1 Editor - Motorsport.com

After the recent winter test sessions, Williams drivers Juan Pablo Montoya
and Ralf Schumacher are confident that the new FW26 will be competitive. He
team has tested extensively at Barcelona and Valencia since the start of the
year and has been setting lap records on the way.

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"This is an excellent car as it reacts well to the set-ups and it seems to
be very competitive," said Montoya. "This gives me great confidence about
the coming months. The situation we had at this time last year compared to
now is hugely different. I can already say that with this car we'll be able
to fight for the championship."

Teammate Schumacher was equally optimistic: "The car handles very well and,
without going into detail, I can say we are definitely on the right track,"
he commented.

After the most recent test at Barcelona last week, BMW motorsport director
Mario Theissen was satisfied with the results. "Throughout the week, we have
worked on engine set-up as well as improving the traction control system,"
he said.

"Furthermore, we have practiced manual starts and simulated an entire race
weekend. The engine did not experience any problems so we are very pleased
with the results we achieved."








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