Williams Racing drivers have suggested that the team is “relatively competitive” during runs in free practice as the team hope for better 2020 FIA Formula 1 World Championship compared to the previous season.
The British team still lingered toward the bottom of the timesheets as George Russell ended the sessions in seventeenth and eighteenth, while Rookie teammate Nicholas Latifi ended up eighteenth and twentieth.
Russell was positive as he talked of the first set of the free practice sessions, touching on the different runs which the team did during the sessions.
“It was fun to get back behind the wheel and my body took a bit of time to get used to the g-force again. It was a productive and encouraging day; our low fuel pace isn’t as good as our high fuel pace, where we seem relatively competitive.
The Brit, also said that he feels the team may be getting to a better place on track at the Red Bull Ring, where last season he finished eighteenth place in front of former teammate Robert Kubica and Haas F1 Team driver Kevin Magnussen.
“By the end of the day, I was back in the groove and happy in the car. We are going in the right direction, and that was our main focus.“
While he enjoyed his first Free Practice session as a Formula 1 driver, Latifi explained that it was a mixed day for him.
“Overall, it was a mixed day, but I felt comfortable getting up to speed in the car. Free Practice 1 was a pretty positive session and we got through a few test items even with limited running due to the rain.
“Free Practice 2 was a bit more of a difficult session as we decided to try some new things to learn and I made some mistakes, but that is what practice is for.
“I really enjoyed being back in the car. It was the first time I have driven a Free Practice 2 session, so I can now say that I am officially a Formula One driver.”
