Williams wary of traffic during qualifying
Williams are positive about the rest of their weekend as they are happy with the pace, even at the first runs. The new parts on their car seem to be working well, but the team is aware that Saturday will be about finding the right time on the track.
Objectives
- Evaluate new aero components
- Tyre and set-up evaluations
Sam Michael, Technical Director:
"Even with the circuit being damp for the majority of the first practice session, we still had a productive day working on set-up and tyres. For both cars we had a new front wing assembly, and only on Rubens car for this race we had a new diffuser to evaluate –all of which are working as expected. Our pace looks reasonable, and qualifying will be about traffic management!"
Rubens Barrichello:
Runs P1: Run 1, new wet, 1 lap, installation check; Run 2, new intermediate, 5 laps, baseline set-up; Run 3, new prime, 11 laps, set-up test
Runs P2: Run 1, new prime, 6 laps, baseline; Run 2, used prime, 5 laps, set-up test; Run 3, used prime, 6 laps, aero set-up test; Run 4, new option, 6 laps, tyre evaluation; Run 5, used option, 8 laps, race set-up
"We’ve brought some new parts to the car this weekend, and they are working well, so the factory has done a good job. Today has been pretty good but there is work to be done tomorrow both in the car and out of it, but we should be up to the job here. In terms of the track, the surface is now much improved as it is far less bumpy, but the new surface can be quite slippery, especially in conditions like today when the rain was taking a long time to dry."
Nico Hulkenberg:
Runs P1: Run 1, new wet, 1 lap, installation check; Run 2, new intermediate, 6 laps, baseline set-up; Run 3, new prime, 7 laps, set-up test;
Runs P2: Run 1, new prime, 6 laps, baseline; Run 2, used prime, 5 laps, aero set-up test; Run 3, used prime, 6 laps, set-up test; Run 4, new option, 4 laps, tyre evaluation; Run 5, used option, 11 laps, race set-up
"It was a positive Friday and the car feels pretty good. We’ve got some new elements to the package and although we didn’t do back-to-back tests today because of the weather, it is pretty clear that they do what they are meant to. And the circuit, well it‘s just awesome, there’s no other word for it. After today I am a little far away from Rubens on the timesheets, but actually I am not if I put a good option run together. All told, I reckon we can have a good, strong weekend."
