Dave Robson says racing around the streets of Monaco is a great sign that some normality is returning to the world following the coronavirus pandemic, even if it is a much difficult challenge to the one everyone faced in Spain last time out.
The Head of Vehicle Performance at Williams Racing says the Circuit de Monaco and the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya are very different tracks and will offer very different challenges to the team.
He is also excited to see how the track has evolved since they last raced there in 2019 and how competitive his drivers, George Russell and Nicholas Latifi, will be this weekend.
“Returning to the streets of Monte Carlo is a great moment in the season, and a sign that things are continuing to return to normal,” said Robson. “Having not been here since 2019, we are desperate to get the cars out on to the tight and twisty track and to see how the circuit has evolved over the last two years.
“Coming from Barcelona, we couldn’t have a much bigger contrast in circuit style and layout, but the basic requirements from the car will be unchanged, with driver confidence crucial to success.
“With only 60 minutes practice sessions, the track is likely to be busy and consequently completing high quality clean laps will be difficult. Testing new parts is very difficult in Monaco and so we will dedicate most of our track time to dialling in both the car and the drivers to the street circuit in preparation for the all-important qualifying session on Saturday.”
For the first time in 2021, Pirelli will bring its three softest compounds to a Grand Prix, and Robson says the hard tyre in particular could be a difficult one to switch on this weekend.
“Pirelli have naturally brought their softest compounds to this event and this will be the first time that we have raced with this combination in 2021,” he said.
“All the compounds should offer long life and low degradation, but the Hard tyre could prove a tricky compound to keep in its ideal working window.”
Robson says the whole team has been encouraged by the progress they have made in the opening four races of 2021, and he hopes they can show themselves to be competitive again in the principality.
“We are looking forward to taking on the challenge of this famous street circuit and seeing how much performance we can find from the FW43B and the drivers,” added Robson. “The whole team have been encouraged by our recent progress and are very keen to maintain the momentum here in Monte Carlo.”
