Friday summary: Williams – The KERS no longer poses problems

This first day allowed Williams to gain confidence in the reliability of their KERS system, which was the Achilles’ heel of the FW33 this winter. No issues to report on that front, and the performance of the car seems promising for the upcoming events.

For Pastor Maldonado, it was primarily about learning a track he did not know. The Venezuelan hopes to progress in the hierarchy tomorrow during qualifying.

Rubens Barrichello – 5th and 9th:

It was a pretty good day today. We were able to run with the KERS, which I was using for only the second time. I think we showed some competitiveness today, but we still need to work to maintain it. I enjoyed my Friday and expect a good weekend.

Pastor Maldonado – 15th and 18th:

It was a bit difficult this morning because I didn’t know the layout, so I spent most of the session learning it. It was also a bit slippery. This afternoon, we focused on long runs and we are happy with the car’s performance. I think I can improve a lot tomorrow in terms of lap times. I am confident for what’s next.

Sam Michael – Technical Director:

It was a productive first day. We successfully worked on our program, which included running with our corrected KERS system, testing aero modifications and a new front wing on Rubens’ car. Everything worked as expected. Interestingly, tire degradation seems better than when we were in testing.