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Having won its last Grand Prix in Brazil five years ago, the 2005 and 2006 Brazilian Grand Prix saw both Williams retire on the first lap. Although the race may have lasted for longer in 2009, the Grove outfit unfortunately suffered the same fate as Nico Rosberg and Kazuki Nakajima left the track in two very different ways.
With Rosberg having looked extremely strong during qualifying on Saturday, the German's day came to a smoky end at Interlagos as his gearbox expired. "I had a good start, making up one position off the line and then managing to stay away from the incidents ahead of me," he said of a highly dramatic first lap in Brazil.
"I was lying in third but then Kubica overtook me at the restart when the Safety Car went in. Fourth was still okay, though, because we had a strong strategy and competitive pace; it was therefore looking good until the gearbox problem - after a promising weekend, this result is a shame."
Nakajima's day, on the other hand, ended in the Subida do Lago tyre wall after a frightening and high-speed accident. "We were lucky to gain some places at the start and make progress up the field after all the incidents," the Japanese driver explained.
"It was quite difficult after the restart; I didn't manage to hold position and I was left stuck behind the cars in front. We were having a good race until the accident, so I'm disappointed it ended this way." Having touched the back of compatriot Kamui Kobayashi's Toyota, Kazuki - minus his front wing - scraped down the wall of the back straight before coming into heavy contact with the barriers.
'Williams decides against Renault engines'
With F1's four new teams - Campos, Manor, Lotus and USF1 - all having confirmed that Cosworth will be powering them in 2010, a Williams return to the legendary brand name would mean the team switches back to the engine company which it last used three years ago following the Grove outfit's split with long-term partner BMW.
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