AT&T Williams F1

It seems everyone at AT&T Williams has become an overnight fan of MotoGP. Why? “James Toseland visited the factory on Tuesday,” says Claire Williams. “He wanted to come and see what goes on inside a Formula One factory, so we were only too happy to oblige. He had a go in the simulator, he looked around the museum, he signed autographs in the race shop – he was great!” No, Claire, James isn’t married...

This bike chat warmed up Patrick Head ahead of his annual road trip to Magny Cours. He left the AT&T Williams factory on Tuesday evening aboard his BMW R1100S and biked down to Plymouth, where he caught the ferry to St Malo with two of his ‘Hell’s Angel’ mates. They then took a day and a half to make their way to Nevers. “It was great fun,” said Patrick. “We stopped at a lovely chateau on the way down and enjoyed the ride. But I don’t think Toseland would have been impressed by us!”

While Patrick Head burnt two-wheeled rubber en route to the race, Kazuki Nakajima slept. He attended the RBS Grand Prix Challenge in Paris on Wednesday morning, after which he let Account Manager Phil Kennard and Press Officer Claire Williams drive him the 250km journey to the track while he slept. Did he dream of having a private jet?

The only driver on the grid who seems to have truly exerted himself during the lead-up to this race is Jenson Button. The Brit, who drove for Williams F1 in 2000, contested the Windsor Olympic Triathlon last Sunday, coming home 117th out of 1700 starters. “It was good fun,” said Jenson, “because there was so much support out there. But it was also really tough.”