Aero work puts Williams on a par with Red Bull
After three races spent in the shadow of Red Bull, Williams F1, which successfully tested a number of developments in Sochi, is keen to redress the balance on a circuit which, on the face of it, seems more favorable. Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas teased the Austrian cars on the timesheet on Friday.
The Sochi circuit favors maximum speeds more, an area in which the Williams shine compared to the Red Bulls equipped with a Renault engine that has certainly made great progress but is still behind the Mercedes power units, which have also slightly evolved this weekend with the expenditure of two development tokens by the German engine manufacturer.
The Williams have therefore matched the Red Bull this Friday. The Ferraris are only a few tenths behind, and the Grove team could benefit from the Reds’ new reliability issues to score big points this weekend. Valtteri Bottas remains optimistic: « It was a good Friday – we managed to test everything we had planned, including a number of new aero parts. The results of these tests look quite good, which is positive. The behavior of the tires is key on this circuit and that will be what we focus on tonight. (…) The pace looks good for the moment. »
Felipe Massa experienced reliability issues early in the morning, but was able to get back on track without any trouble. The Brazilian driver also noticed the good condition of his car: “I think it was a positive day. I’m happy to see the performance of the car on both short and long stints with the tires. Maybe we are better on this circuit than on others. I hope so.”
Williams worked on its aero setup this morning. The Grove team continues to explore the possibilities offered by its new front wing and is doing everything possible to reduce tire wear. The progress seems noticeable, especially on long stints with a lot of fuel, but only Sunday’s session can truly confirm it.
