I'm glad that Claire Williams wants to remain independent, but if Haas finishes ahead of Williams this year, they might want to reconsider. I'm not a billionaire like Mr. Stroll, but why doesn't he just start his own team, or pay Williams for one of his companies to be the title sponsor? Everyone on FerrariChat has plenty of opinions on F1 but I guess since he's rich enough his opinion gets in the news!
As noted - http://www.espn.co.uk/f1/story/_/id/23460341/chief-designer-ed-wood-leaves-williams Probably not a fan of the new ownership under Stroll LOL
Robert Kubica: 2018 Williams F1 car not enjoyable to drive in Spain FP1 Robert Kubica admitted the Williams Formula 1 car is "not enjoyable" and "hard work", but said he was satisfied with his first grand prix weekend session since 2010. Kubica completed the first of his three planned Friday morning practice runs with Williams at the Spanish Grand Prix. It ended an absence from official GP weekend sessions that stretched back to Abu Dhabi in November 2010, his final race for Renault before the rallying crash that interrupted his career in the following February. But Kubica was only 19th fastest, 3.3 seconds off the pace and with just team-mate Lance Stroll - who crashed with half an hour to go - behind him. "It's difficult to say that it was enjoyable because our car balance was very bad and it was very difficult to drive, so it was difficult to enjoy it," Kubica said. "But I'm satisfied with the session and how I reacted to difficult conditions and a difficult balance. "It sounds strange that you can be happy about P19 but actually I'm happy. "To enjoy it you need to have a car which is suiting your driving style and is giving you margin to drive it. "Often unfortunately now we are in a position that we are going around the track and we are not driving the car. And this is not enjoyable. This is hard work. Image Unavailable, Please Login "I know it sounds strange, but it's hard work to be four seconds off the pace, it is harder work that maybe fighting for one tenth or two tenths [at the front]. "In our position it's more that you drive the car into what is happening, you don't know what will happen until it happens, and then you react to the car, which is a hard job." Kubica said Williams "know exactly what was our weakest part of the car" and "did start a project which should help us to understand better, to improve it and hopefully to solve it completely", but "probably it is not a question of one day or one month, it is even more". He added: "Miracles will not happen. We will have better tracks, like for example Baku. "Coming to Barcelona, I was expecting to be in a difficult situation. FP1 was even more difficult than expected. "So now we will try to help our main drivers with the balance of the car to make it easier for them to drive. But performance is a different story." Kubica admitted he "was expecting there to be more emotions" about his first GP weekend session in seven and a half years, but suggested that was a good sign. "It means it is becoming more natural after a long time that I have been out of the sport," said Kubica, who added that the first tests of his F1 comeback bid last summer felt much more emotional. Asked if he was encouraged to be faster than Stroll, Kubica replied: "No. I know my value. I don't have to look at lap times."
Both Williams' finished. That's ALL that can be reasonably hoped for this season. They had that last season with Massa. The result: Massa had 43 points to Stroll's 40. Experience!
Is it just me or is 'Ed Wood' a pseudonym like the director who doesn't want to be associated with a film using his real name?? John
Williams will struggle to replace Martini MAY 13, 2018 Paddy Lowe has admitted that Williams will struggle to replace departing sponsor Martini for 2019. Martini announced it is leaving the British team at the worst possible time, just before Williams' performance badly slumped and designer Ed Wood inexplicably left. When asked about Martini's departure and how the money will be replaced, technical boss Lowe said in Barcelona: "It's a difficult situation. "There's no easy answer to that question. It's clear that we, and I include myself in that, did not work well enough and for the past two months did not achieve the progress we should have. "It complicates the commercial situation but that's the sport we're in," Lowe added. However, he denied there is a link between long-time designer Wood's departure and the dire performance of the 2018 car. "Ed decided to leave to do other things, but it had nothing to do with the problems we're having on the track," said Lowe. "His departure creates a vacancy but there's no rush to fill it," he added. Lowe said Williams is working hard on fixing the 2018 car's problems, but cautioned that it will take some time before they see the track. "None of the solutions that will help to improve the situation have been implemented, which is why we have such serious problems on this track," Lowe said in Barcelona. "Barcelona does not forgive shortcomings. "But I'm not writing off the season. Yes our pace is really bad, but this is because the drivers are prevented from driving it properly. "The car has its advantages, but certain shortcomings do not allow them to be seen."
I have sympathy but there is more to the story than Lowe will let on. The entire situation is more than just the car. Structurally they have fallen apart as a team.
I'm still trying to wrap my head around this team. 2017 they scored 83pts in the WCC and Sauber scored 5pts and HAAS has 47pts. 2018 Massa leaves, Halo introduction, Sirotkin moves in. New spec engines for everyone. So the car for 2018 is supposed to be an upgrade of the previous FW40. Currently, Alfa-Sauber has 11pts in the WCC ( thanks to a rookie) and HAAS has 19pts........Williams only 4pts. Paddy Lowe's statements about this with the car and that with the car.....c'mon, Paddy. IMO, he's "taking one for the team" with all the pressures around him including Lawrence Stroll who is bank-rolling this team or most of it. It has to be the drivers!!!!!
With Martini leaving we have evidence that choosing drivers for the money they bring in is an economical nonsense; with no results and no car development abilities from the drivers, the other sponsors go away and the team ends up with even less money. And is still unable to get results and develop the car.
It is not an upgrade from FW40. It is a new design philosophy. That always comes with risk. Let's see if they can figure it out. They continuously claim that they understand what the wrongs are.
Assessing the new regulations and their budget to plan a new design. Or wha they can afford to to do with respect to those changes, possibly.
These points don't tell the whole story. If not by team mistakes and misfortunes, Massa should have had at least 30 more points.
