Thursday September 30th, 1999

The 2000 BMW Williams prototype will test in public for the first time at the A1-Ring in Austria next week, with Jog Muller behind the wheels between October 8th and 12th. However, Sir Frank Williams said this week that he does not have high hopes of the new car for its first season, and that it will probably take time for his team and BMW to win the Formula One World Championship.

"We will not win the first 2000 race in Melbourne, and also not six months later," Williams told the German media. "Maybe it will take nine months, possibly 19, or even two and a half years until the first victory."

Williams also referred to the name-change of his team, which will see for the first time in Formula One the engine tag precedes the name of the car manufacturer, to be called BMW-Williams. "It is a great idea," Williams said, "Because this solution makes them happy. And happy partners work better than unhappy ones."