Williams Martini Racing 2015

[Gaz.]

Not having a reserve driver to drive a point scoring car

I presume you mean for the race in Melbourne? If so it was because Valteri qualified for the race then pulled out so nobody else could take his place.

[efuloni]

Isn't odd that everyone is talking about the strategy of Mercedes, saying that they did wrong, but no one said a word about Williams? I mean, Williams used exactly the same pit-stop plan of Mercs.

They stopped with the SC, underusing the first set of tyres and elongating the use of the next two sets, and then returned from pit in the middle of slower cars, having the obligation of overtaking them (what also increases the degradation of the tyres)...

I don't think they could have done much better, if they didn't pit in the SC they would surely be able to save a bit more of the tyres and maybe - just maybe - finish ahead of Kimi.

It seems everyone is so resigned about being the third team that almost no one noticed the strategy flaws.

[maxxer]

@gaz , ah i stand corrected in that i thought it was just because she didnt have her super license , so even if she did she wouldnt have been allowed anyway.

[Sevach]

Isn't odd that everyone is talking about the strategy of Mercedes, saying that they did wrong, but no one said a word about Williams? I mean, Williams used exactly the same pit-stop plan of Mercs.

They stopped with the SC, underusing the first set of tyres and elongating the use of the next two sets, and then returned from pit in the middle of slower cars, having the obligation of overtaking them (what also increases the degradation of the tyres)...

I don't think they could have done much better, if they didn't pit in the SC they would surely be able to save a bit more of the tyres and maybe - just maybe - finish ahead of Kimi.

It seems everyone is so resigned about being the third team that almost no one noticed the strategy flaws.

I got the sense no one but Ferrari could've made a 2 stop work, there's a chance those tires (Q2 plus 4 race laps on them) would die 4/5 laps after the safety car release which would've been terrible.

And of course, as you said, they got the result their car deserves, so meh...

[LookBackTime]

Friday updates. Bottas on Sky F1:

- aero updates working fine
- better consistency on rear tire
- does not know what happened on Massa car's
- working on race setup - to conserve front left tire
- on quality they hope to fight Ferrari

on the race side he did not look so convinced that Williams can fight Ferrari - that was my impression !

[LookBackTime]

Objectives: Set-up work, aero evaluations and tyre work

Rob Smedley, Head of Performance Engineering: We completed the majority of our plan today, unfortunately we didn’t get all the data we would have liked to due to Felipe’s spin in the second session. The spin was caused by a rear wing stall which was easy to rectify so we were confident when sending Valtteri back out. The data and driver feedback from the new parts we have installed seem positive, but there is still more work to do to see where we are in comparison to our rivals ahead of qualifying and the race.

Valtteri Bottas: It was a normal Friday for us without any mistakes or unknowns. The updates we brought have worked, so we are a little quicker through the corners now, which is always positive. The temperature here suits us better than in Malaysia, so I think we can be strong in qualifying but we need to make sure we focus on the race and especially on the front left tyre graining.

Felipe Massa: The first session went to plan, but this afternoon we had a few issues with the rear wing. Under braking I lost all grip in the rear tyres and as a result the car spun which put me out for the rest of the session. We lost a lot of time, but the team made the changes to Valtteri’s rear wing so the same wouldn’t happen to him. We need to have a strong day tomorrow to set ourselves up well for the race.

[LookBackTime]

CHINESE GP QUALIFYING

11 APR 2015

Chinese Grand Prix Qualifying
11th April 2015

Shanghai International Circuit, China
5.451kms/3.387miles

Qualifying Notes
• Felipe Massa qualified fourth and Valtteri Bottas fifth for tomorrow’s Chinese Grand Prix.
• After making it into Q2 with just one option tyre run each, both drivers showed good pace throughout the session.

Q1
V. Bottas: 1:38.014 (3rd)
F. Massa: 1:38.433 (7th)
Quickest Time: S. Vettel (1:37.502)

Q2
F. Massa: 1:37.357 (5th)
V. Bottas: 1:37.763 (6th)
Quickest Time: L. Hamilton (1:36.423)

Q3
F. Massa: 1:36.954 (4th)
V. Bottas: 1:37.143 (5th)
Quickest Time: L Hamilton (1:35.782)


Rob Smedley, Head of Performance Engineering: It was a good job by the whole team. We managed to get the best out of the car from both drivers and qualifying in fourth and fifth is a pleasing result. We had a lot to do this morning after FP3 and we have delivered on the hard work, so I am happy. We have got ourselves into a good position for the race and are hoping for a strong result tomorrow.

Felipe Massa: I am really happy with my lap. I managed to get the best out of the car and showed we are still in the fight with Ferrari. The car has improved throughout the weekend and we had the set-up correct for qualifying. Tomorrow is when it really counts so I hope we can have a strong race and get the most points on offer from the car.

Valtteri Bottas: It was quite a close qualifying, although I suffered with the rear of the car throughout the final session, which made it a bit harder. We know we need to work on our race pace, but we should be closer than we were in the first two races. The cars in front look strong so we have to concentrate on tyre degradation.

[bill shoe]

CHINESE GP QUALIFYING

11 APR 2015

Chinese Grand Prix Qualifying
11th April 2015

Shanghai International Circuit, China
5.451kms/3.387miles

Qualifying Notes
• Felipe Massa qualified fourth and Valtteri Bottas fifth for tomorrow’s Chinese Grand Prix.
• After making it into Q2 with just one option tyre run each, both drivers showed good pace throughout the session.

I'm an old-school Williams fan, and I appreciate notes like this. Not hard to find elsewhere, but appreciated here.

[Sevach]

I guess i shouldn't complain since Williams have been in a lot worst places, but this is shaping up to be a very dull season for the team.

Solid job for Massa this weekend.

[LookBackTime]

CHINESE GRAND PRIX

12 APR 2015

Chinese Grand Prix

Race Notes
• Felipe Massa finished fifth and Valtteri Bottas sixth in today’s Chinese Grand Prix.
• Valtteri had a good start to overtake Felipe in the opening corners only be retaken by Felipe before the end of the first lap as the pair battled with Kimi Raikkonen who was able to jump both cars.
• For the remainder of the race both drivers managed their tyres and the gaps to their rivals before the race concluded under the safety car.

Rob Smedley, Head of Performance Engineering: The team did a great job and maximised the performance of car. Fifth and sixth is accurate of the pace we had today. The pitstops were excellent and our race strategy was very good. We just need to continue working on the pace of the car.

Felipe Massa: We had a good race today and I managed to get the most out of the car. The team performed very well but we just don’t have the raw speed to catch the cars in front. I will work on my start as that is really the only thing that went wrong for us. We have scored the most amount of points available to us today.

Valtteri Bottas: It was a lonely race for me today. I struggled for race pace throughout, but as a team we got the best result we could have achieved. I would have liked to have kept Kimi behind for longer after getting in front of him at the start, but he made a good move on me to retake the position. There is quite a bit of work to do to catch the cars ahead, but it's only race three, so there is plenty of time.

[efuloni]

Smedley, about Massa in 2015 and this weekend:

"He had a bloody good weekend. He was right on it."

"I've worked with him for many years and I'm still seeing him develop."

"It's good to see that a lad with 10-plus years of driving Formula One cars is still able to develop and improve."

"One of the biggest changes I've seen in Felipe over the last year and half is not only where he has got his head to, the fact he is very comfortable with himself and his surroundings, but technically how he is managing the tyres is really impressive."

"He knows what to do with the tyres, what corrective action to take, he knows how to get them working in qualifying and how to make them last in the race, as good as any particular car will allow him to do."

"What we're seeing at the moment is the best Felipe Massa we've seen - definitely as good as 2008."

And about the team and the car:

"Can we improve? Of course we can, and we must because we want to be the absolute best"

"We're not the best operationally, we don't have the best car, so we have to keep improving, but the improvement that has been made in the last 12 months with this group of people is marked."

"What that means is it's really positive for the future because when we do develop and have a car capable of wins, then we will go out and get them."

"But we have to get our heads down and start developing, but it's every little bit."

"Formula One is not about sitting back and saying 'I'll wait for somebody else to do it'. The margins are too tight now."

"Every single person in the team has to go out and look for performance."

[LookBackTime]

[windwaves]

CHINESE GRAND PRIX

12 APR 2015

Chinese Grand Prix

Race Notes
• Felipe Massa finished fifth and Valtteri Bottas sixth in today’s Chinese Grand Prix.
• Valtteri had a good start to overtake Felipe in the opening corners only be retaken by Felipe before the end of the first lap as the pair battled with Kimi Raikkonen who was able to jump both cars.
• For the remainder of the race both drivers managed their tyres and the gaps to their rivals before the race concluded under the safety car.

Rob Smedley, Head of Performance Engineering: The team did a great job and maximised the performance of car. Fifth and sixth is accurate of the pace we had today. The pitstops were excellent and our race strategy was very good. We just need to continue working on the pace of the car.

Felipe Massa: We had a good race today and I managed to get the most out of the car. The team performed very well but we just don’t have the raw speed to catch the cars in front. I will work on my start as that is really the only thing that went wrong for us. We have scored the most amount of points available to us today.

Valtteri Bottas: It was a lonely race for me today. I struggled for race pace throughout, but as a team we got the best result we could have achieved. I would have liked to have kept Kimi behind for longer after getting in front of him at the start, but he made a good move on me to retake the position. There is quite a bit of work to do to catch the cars ahead, but it's only race three, so there is plenty of time.

so lets get to work dudes ! The potential must be there to challenge Ferrari and more given at least last year's results so lets go find it. Lets go Williams !!!!!!!!!!

[roadie]

http://www.williamsf1.com/racing/news/b ... rixpreview

Rob Smedley
After a milder weekend in China, we are back to a hot weekend in Bahrain. The circuit is fantastic with very high traction demand making it tough for the engineers to ensure the car is good in qualifying, but looks after its rear tyres in race conditions. The importance of controlling the temperatures in the rears is paramount. At the start of the weekend the track is quite dirty leading to increased tyre wear but this settles down and improves throughout the race. The fans come from all over the Middle East and really enjoy their motorsport, so we are looking forward to this years’ Bahrain Grand Prix.

Felipe Massa
Bahrain is the first night race of the season and is a spectacular place to watch a race. I always have fond memories of tracks where I have won before and I have managed to step onto the top step of the podium twice in Bahrain. I hope our car can show its true pace and utilise its straight line speed on the long straights. The track and facilities are always excellent in Bahrain, which is an added bonus when going to any race.

Valtteri Bottas
Last year was a good race in Bahrain. The circuit offers the opportunity to overtake but it doesn’t make it easy so the drivers fight for every position. The track surface is quite rough which has a huge effect on the tyres, so looking after them becomes a priority. This can lead to quicker cars being bunched up and we have to take every chance that is on offer to overtake. I really like the Middle East; the facilities are always fantastic so I am looking forward to heading back there.

Like last year I think this is going to be a relatively tough race for the team. The warmth, tyre wear and traction zones on the track look to be weaknesses for the team, but there is plenty of high speed stuff too.

However, like China 5th and 6th should be the expectation.

[domh245]

Does anyone know if Williams will stick to just 2 variations of their livery/team kit this year? One as per the normal livery (red stripe with MARTINI branding in the roundel) and one where the martini text has been replaced by "RACING" as seen on the car for Bahrain for countries where the normal livery may prove to be an issue (Bahrain, Abu Dhabi, Russia)