Smedley: Williams did not miss its season start
Rob Smedley has spoken out against statements suggesting that his team has definitively missed the mark at the start of this season.

The progress of this early season at Williams satisfies the English management, starting with Rob Smedley, the head of performance. The team also believes that the Spanish Grand Prix will be a step forward towards big points.
However, the start of the 2014 season is rather mixed with incidents for both drivers in Australia, Felipe Massa’s refusal to let Valtteri Bottas pass despite team orders in Malaysia, and severe tire degradation issues in Bahrain. The most recent problem: the Chinese Grand Prix, where Williams missed Massa’s first pit stop despite his position to fight for a top 6.
Lost points lead the team to question the reasons for its difficulties in realizing its potential, while other teams are beginning to make serious progress in the development race of their single-seater. Rob Smedley believes that Williams will continue to be at the forefront during this season.
The question I was asked a few weeks ago was the following: Are you disappointed not to have been able to capitalize on a fast car? he declares before explaining to Autosport: I do not think we haven’t capitalized on the car we have. I think we did a decent job. It’s not a perfect job, and I’m not going to sit here and say that we did a perfect job, but who has done a perfect job so far?
It’s just a matter of time before the work evolves in the right direction. He relies on his past experiences: As at Ferrari, there is a real desire to win here, people are ready to fight as a team. Smedley’s role focuses on improving the relationship between the factory and the team on the circuits regarding Formula 1 development. He is ultimately convinced that this work will allow Williams to return to the top of F1.