Formula 1

Williams Lack Pace But Improve Reliability Record At Chinese GP

1 Mins read

Williams finally managed to get a car to the end of a grand prix today in Shanghai, but will leave China without any points to their name after Rubens Barrichello and Pastor Maldonado came home thirteenth and eighteenth respectively.

“There is nothing satisfying about finishing out of the points,” said technical director Sam Michael. “Reliability-wise, however, it was positive to get both cars to the finish. There were stages during the race when our performance was respectable so we need to focus on those areas and improve our qualifying pace. We have some sound upgrades planned for Istanbul and we will be concentrating our efforts on those.”

Barrichello is well aware that the FW33 lacks performance compared to their rivals, but is determined to help Williams become more competitive as the season progresses. “We opted for a two-stop strategy today, others did three, but I don't think that made a difference,” said the Brazilian. “The car isn't performing as well as it should. I am going to work hard to help the team improve it. I need this car to be performing better and I know we can make it happen.”

Team-mate Maldonado now finally has an entire grand prix under his belt, but he also recognises the need to find more speed from this car. “I'm pleased that we finished the race because we now have more data to analyse how the FW33 is working over a race distance which we haven't had to date,” he said. “My car felt ok, but we need to find more speed and improve our performance. We have a long gap between now and Turkey to look over the data and make improvements.”

1972 posts

About author
David is an occasional contributer to the site on matters related to Formula 1. You can follow him on twitter at @Dr_Bean.
Articles
Related posts
Formula 1

2024 Australian Grand Prix - TCF Driver of the Weekend

2 Mins read
TheCheckeredFlag Driver of the Weekend is revealed for the 2024 Australian Grand Prix.
Formula 1

2024 Australian Grand Prix – What the Team Principals are Saying after the Race

7 Mins read
The ten Team Principals reflect on drivers performances at Albert Park during Sunday’s Australian Grand Prix, a race that saw Ferrari claim their first win of 2024.
Formula 1

2024 Australian Grand Prix – What the Drivers are Saying after the Race – Part 2

7 Mins read
Those who missed out on points in Australia reflect on their races, including Max Verstappen, who retired from a Grand Prix for the first time since the same event in 2022.