This coming weekend will see the second race of the 2004 Formula One World Championship to be held in Europe - the Spanish Grand Prix at Barcelona. No other circuit on the F1 calendar is used quite as much, and by so many of the teams, during the winter, and the season, for testing purposes. In 2004, the BMW Williams team has already completed 10,363 kilometres of testing at the Circuit de Catalunya.

Despite this, it’s not easy to find the perfect set-up for the 4.627 kilometre track according to Juan Pablo Montoya. “The rough surface puts a great strain on the tyres, while the many fast corners test the drivers' endurance,” the Columbian said, “Added to that is the strong wind that often blows sand onto the track. Decisive for this of course are the aerodynamics, which we constantly modify throughout testing.”

Consequently, the engineers can never be sure to have found the perfect set-up. The weather also plays an important role, as the strong Mediterranean wind can quickly change direction making it important for the team to keep a close eye on conditions, so that any change can be reacted to as quickly as possible.

BMW Williams were busy testing at Silverstone last week in preparation for the fifth race of the season, although rain showers hampered testing for several days. However, the team is confident that it has made up ground to its competitors as they chase their first win of the season and the first for Michelin-shod car since Hungary last year.