Formula One news

Even Schu's car is not perfect - Head

Patrick Head

Even Michael Schumacher's Ferrari - driven to victory eleven times out of twelve races in '04 - is not 'perfect', according to Williams' engineer Patrick Head. The former long-time technical director, who's handed over to young Australian Sam Michael, said the word should never pass the lips of a Formula One engineer.

''The moment your brain tells you that you've made or done something perfect,'' said Head, ''that is the same moment when you stop making development.''

Legendary engine builder Keith Duckworth once said it would be impossible to build a three-litre racing engine with more than five hundred brake horse power. Head said: ''Now we're up to more than 900.'

But there is a limit to the extent at which grand prix development should be pursued, the owner/partner to Sir Frank Williams said on the F1 team's website. He said cutting a couple of grams out of a car might not be 'cost effective.

''But for a whole kilo,'' said Patrick, ''we'd do almost anything.''

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