Dave Robson says Williams Racing need to work out how to get some decent race pace from their FW43 chassis after seeing their impressive Qualifying performance at the Hungaroring go to waste last Sunday.
For the first time since the Italian Grand Prix of 2018, both Williams drivers made it into Q2 on Saturday, with George Russell and Nicholas Latifi qualifying twelfth and fifteenth, respectively.
However, it was a much trickier day for the team on Sunday, with Russell making a slow start, while Latifi drove strongly early on before a drama in his pit stop saw his race unravel. The driver’s finished eighteenth and nineteenth respectively, the last of those who saw the chequered flag.
“It’s been a difficult day for the whole team,” said Robson, the Head of Vehicle Performance at Williams, after the race. “George had a poor start and struggled to recover in the mixed conditions.
“Meanwhile, Nicholas got a very good start and made a lot of progress during the opening lap. Sadly, his race was effectively over when he suffered a puncture in a collision at the pit exit.
“Conditions were not easy in the damp conditions and the dry tyres were difficult to manage leading to a variety of strategies. It was a day when things can quickly go for you, or against you, and today was not our day.
“However, we need to look at the race pace of the car and review how we can better capitalise on strong qualifying performances.”
Robson says the team will have a small break between Hungary and the first race of the next triple-header, which takes place next weekend at the Silverstone circuit in the United Kingdom, Williams’ home Grand Prix.
“Following three successive races we now head home for a brief break before returning to Silverstone for the start of another European triple-header,” said Robson.
