Williams Martini Racing are preparing themselves to handle back-to-back race events this weekend as they head to Mexico City.
The Grove based outfit had an mediocre United States Grand Prix after only Felipe Massa was able to finish in the top ten, finishing in seventh. Massa had an interesting Grand Prix after an robust move from Fernando Alonso saw him lose a position late on, and after the overtake, Massa had to pit as he suffered a puncture.
Valtteri Bottas on the other hand had a tough afternoon, after a first lap tangle with the Sahara Force India F1 Team of Nico Hulkenberg left him with a puncture and a damaged floor. The time lost saw Bottas drop down to the back of the field, from here he struggled and was unable to recover the positions he lost, meaning he finished the Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas in sixteenth.
Heading into Mexico, Pat Symonds, Chief Technical Officer at Williams, admits the primary feature of the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez is the altitude, which will not alone test the turbo charger but also the vehicle’s cooling system.
“We still regard Mexico as a new venue as our rate of learning last year was rapid, but undoubtedly unfinished,” said Symonds. “That said, we were able to put one car on the podium here.
“Of course, the primary feature of the circuit is its altitude which tests the turbo charger of the power unit, as well as the vehicle’s cooling systems. The altitude is not only a test for the car, but indeed the drivers and the whole pit crew.
“Of particular note is the brake duty cycle, with this circuit now being one of the highest benchmarks we need to achieve. For the second time in a row, the teams also have to handle back-to-back race events as we continue through the busy final stint of the season.”
