Williams

Formula 1 Team reports for the 2010 F1 season includes race previews, reports and reviews

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Williams

Post by Ed » Sat Jan 30, 2010 10:22 pm

AT&T Williams signs Valtteri Bottas as Official Test Driver

The AT&T Williams team today confirmed the appointment of Valtteri Bottas as its official test driver.

Valtteri, a 20-year old from Nastola, Finland, will take up the role vacated by Nico Hulkenberg as he steps up as a team race driver. Having begun karting at the age of six, Bottas has a strong record of success with seven years in the Finnish national squad. In 2006, he concluded his karting career by winning the WSK International Series Formula A, Finnish Formula A and Finnish ICA. In 2007, he moved to Formula Renault where, in 2008, he won both the Eurocup and NEC championships with 17 wins and 22 podiums from 28 starts. In 2009, he graduated to Formula 3 with ART and was the highest placed rookie, finishing third in the championship with six second place finishes and two pole positions in the 10-round Euroseries Championship. He also won the F3 Masters last year.

On his appointment, AT&T Williams Team Principal Frank Williams said, “Valtterri’s CV is very impressive, with a long list of success in the right junior formulae. We hope that the role of official test driver in our squad will provide him with another step in his development. We wish him all the best in the Formula Three Euroseries this season.”

Valtteri said, “This is a great way to start 2010. I am very honoured to have been selected by a team as prestigious as AT&T Williams, one of the most significant names in the sport. This is an important step in my career but now the real work starts to get to the top. I am sure I will learn a lot with the team and I trust that together we will achieve great results for the years to come. This opportunity gives me even more positive energy to improve as a driver and achieve my future targets as my ultimate goal will be to become Formula One World Champion one day. I take the opportunity to thank Sir Frank Williams and the senior management of the team and also to thanks my management and my sponsors for all their work and support so far.”

BIOGRAPHY: VALTTERI BOTTAS
Nationality Finnish
Date of birth 28 August 1989
Place of birth Nastola, Finland
Lives Oxford, UK and Villähde, Finland
Height 1.73m
Weight 70kg
Marital status Single
Hobbies Gym, roller skating, running
Website www.valtteribottas.com

SINGLE SEAT COMPETITION STATISTICS TO DATE
Race Starts 74
Wins 23
Poles 24

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
2010 Formula 3 with ART, AT&T Williams official test driver
2009 Formula 3 Euroseries with ART, 3rd place, 1 pole, 6 second places, 62 points
2009 Formula 3 Masters, Zandvoort, polesitter and winner
2008: Formula Renault Eurocup Championship winner with Motopark Academy, 14 races, 5 wins, 7 poles, 10 podiums, 4 fastest laps, 139 points
2008: Formula Renault Northern European Cup Championship winner with Motopark Academy, 14 races, 12 wins, 13 poles, 365 points
2007: Formula Renault UK Winter Series, 4 races, 3 wins Formula Renault Northern European Cup, 3rd in Championship
2006: Finnish Championship Formula A winner, Finnish Championship ICA winner, WSK International Series Formula A winner, NEZ Championship ICA runner up
2005: Finnish Championship ICA 3rd, Viking Trophy ICA winner
2004: Finnish Championship ICA Junior winner, Viking Trophy ICA Junior runner-up
2002: Selected for the Finnish National karting squad

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Post by Ed » Sat Jan 30, 2010 10:30 pm

QUESTION & ANSWER: VALTTERI BOTTAS

How did you start in motor racing?
I started racing at the age of five when I drove a kart for the first time in Lahti in Finland at my local track. We were in the Lahti city area the summer before with my Dad and we saw signs for a kart race, so decided to go on the spur of the moment. We spent all day there watching the racing, and when it had all finished, I said to Dad that I really wanted to give it a go myself. Unfortunately I was a bit too short to reach the pedals, so Dad made me wait for a year, but he kept his promise. The following year, I had just one go and I was hooked. From there on, I bugged my Dad every day to go karting again and I just didn’t want to do anything else. In a way, it was complete coincidence that we stopped at the circuit that day as I had no other family connection or motivation to race. My father did recall that while I was watching my first race was the first and only time I sat still at that age, I was completely transfixed by what was happening on the track!

With such a commitment to racing at such a tender age, did you miss out on other things growing up?
Yes, it was a sacrifice in some senses, but that was perhaps more my parents view than mine because it was all I wanted to do. First things first!

It is a common question, but with your experience, why do you think Finland produces so many world class competition drivers in racing and rallying?
It must be something to do with the mentality here. It is to some degree driven by the hard winters and the difficult driving conditions, so you have to actively engage yourself to drive, you can’t simply get around on auto-pilot. That develops natural car control and perhaps it goes from there.

Who stands out for you as the foremost Finnish competition driver?
I suppose Mika Hakkinen. He was the guy achieving the results when I was growing up as a kid, so I was really a big fan of his. Incredibly, Mika is now involved in the management of my career together with Didier Coton and Toto Wolff. Since Mika, of course Finland has produced many Formula One stars such as Raikkonen and Kovalainen.

Aside from motor racing, what else do you think your homeland is notable for?
Well, we excel at many of the winter sports. When I was busy on the kart track, my school friends were pursuing all kinds of other traditional winter sports and for the same reason, we do quite well in these disciplines.
Despite being a small population in quite a big landmass, it is perhaps surprising that our industries have such a presence in the world stage – companies like Wihuri, Kemppi and Nokia are very prominent.

What are your first memories of following motor racing on TV?
I started watching F1 seriously when Mika was racing for McLaren. You can never forget the iconic red and white livery of his car in those days. Things stick in your memory of course, like his terrible accident in ’95, but most of it was good stuff! I never got to an F1 race in those days unfortunately, but because of my busy racing career, I still have not solved this and I am yet to watch a Grand Prix as a spectator. Hopefully this will change soon!

And when did you first become aware of Williams?
Naturally if you follow Formula One, you cannot help but notice Williams who have had so many notable drivers and successes, so I was aware of Williams all my life really.

Having visited Williams now, what are your impressions of the team?
I have been so impressed coming here. The facilities are amazing, the place is immaculate and the level of activity especially because the new car is being built gives a real sense of the place being very dynamic. At a human level, though, it is a very friendly place, I guess because everyone in the company is focused on the same thing.

What are you plans for this year?
I am racing with ART in the Formula 3 Euroseries, and of course I will be defending my Masters title again. The Macau GP also features in my plans for this season. Of course I will also be spending as much time as possible in the factory, doing everything from simulator work for my racing to actually working in different departments in the company. This way I have a complete view of all the inputs into the process of designing and building the car. I will be at Williams pretty much every day except for the times when I am racing and because the programme is pretty intensive, it was part of the reason I decided to move to Oxford.

What is good about moving to the UK?
Well, it is easier for travel for all my Formula 3 races and most importantly, it means I am well connected to Williams. I have no idea what I will miss from home other than my friends and family back in Finland, of course.

When do you expect to behind the wheel of an F1 car?
Well, in the simulator of course! But aside from that, there are the young driver tests in the schedule this year and who knows if I might get another opportunity. We will see.

What are your aspirations for Formula Three this season?
Last year I was a rookie and I finished third, so this year I must aim for the win. It is also really important for me to retain my Masters title. This would maintain the momentum that I have achieved so far during my career.

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Post by Ed » Tue Feb 02, 2010 1:24 pm

VALENCIA TEST 1ST FEBRUARY 2010
DAY 1 OF 3

Circuit: Circuito de la Comunidad Valenciana Ricardo Tormo 4.051km

Objective: Initial systems, performance and reliability checks with the FW32
Weather: Clear and bright all day
Average ambient temperature: 10°C

Pos Driver Team Best Time Total Laps
1 F Massa Ferrari 1:12.574 102
2 P de la Rosa BMW Sauber 1:12.784 74
3 M Schumacher Mercedes GP 1:12.947 40
4 N Rosberg Mercedes GP 1:13.543 39
5 G Paffett McLaren 1:13.846 86
6 R Barrichello AT&T Williams 1:14.449 75
7 S Buemi Toro Rosso 1:14.762 18
8 R Kubica Renault 1:15.000 69

Sam Michael, Technical Director, Williams F1: It was a productive first day testing, with the car completing 75 laps in total. Considering everything is new, in particular the Cosworth engine installation, it was good to get through the day without any major problems. We did have a minor software issue with the throttle control towards the end of the session, but that is easily sorted out for tomorrow. We are well underway with set-up work now and tuning the FW32 around the new Bridgestone tyres.

Rubens Barrichello: I enjoyed today, it was like a first day at school! You can’t predict anything from the times today; and probably won’t be able to for the remainder of the tests because of the fuel loads people will run with such big tanks. It probably won’t be until Bahrain qualifying that we will see where everyone is. We are working on improving the balance of the car, but it’s running reliably, despite the small issue with the throttle. As everything is new, it was a good day.

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Post by Ed » Thu Feb 04, 2010 3:35 pm

VALENCIA TEST 3RD FEBRUARY 2010
DAY 3 OF 3

Circuit: Circuito de la Comunidad Valenciana Ricardo Tormo 4.005km
Objective: Systems checks and long run race simulations
Weather: Clear and bright all day
Average ambient temperature: 12°C

Sam Michael, Technical Director: Today, with Nico, we worked on putting as much mileage as we could on the FW32 and achieved over 500kms at the end of the day, bringing us to a test total of 1,213.5kms. We spent the three days working on set-up and long runs; the main systems on the car are proving reliable and are cooling sufficiently. There are the inevitable minor teething problems to resolve between now and Jerez, but it's been good to get out on track and start work with our new engine partner, Cosworth.

Nico Hulkenberg: We covered a lot of mileage today, which is good and allowed me to get used to the car, and my first impressions are all positive. We did a lot of long runs on heavy fuel loads which have given us a good baseline, but we need to keep on working.

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Post by Ed » Fri Feb 12, 2010 10:10 am

JEREZ TEST 11TH FEBRUARY 2010

DAY 2 OF 4

Circuit: Jerez de la Frontera 4.428km
Objective: Set-up work with the FW32
Weather: Dry all day
Average ambient temperature: 14°C

Pos Driver Team Best Time Total Laps
1 K Kobayashi BMW Sauber 1:19.950 103
2 S Buemi Toro Rosso 1:20.026 121
3 J Button McLaren 1:20.618 83
4 N Hulkenberg AT&T Williams 1:20.629 67
5 V Liuzzi Force India 1:20.754 80
6 M Schumacher Mercedes GP 1:21.083 124
7 F Alonso Ferrari 1:21.424 129
8 R Kubica Renault 1:22.033 103
9 M Webber Red Bull Racing 1:22.043 99
10 T Glock Virgin 1:29.964 11

Sam Michael, Technical Director: We had some mechanical problems with the hydraulic system and the driveline today. We had a leak first thing this morning, which we identified relatively quickly, but it took us a long time to correct because the clutch was covered with hydraulic fluid. That effectively ruled us out of most of the morning session. We encountered a smaller issue this afternoon with a driveshaft component. It was quicker to rectify, but obviously wasn’t ideal in terms of track time. We still made our way through three or four set-up changes and we'll just have to target higher mileage tomorrow with Rubens.

Nico Hulkenberg: Today was quite a difficult day as we had some technical problems, but I’m still feeling positive about the car. Of course, I would like to have had more running time, but that’s sometimes the way it goes. Overall, it’s been a good two days and the car feels good.

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Post by Ed » Sat Feb 13, 2010 12:09 pm

JEREZ TEST 12TH FEBRUARY 2010

DAY 3 OF 4

Circuit: Jerez de la Frontera 4.428km
Objective: Set-up work with the FW32
Weather: Dry until 11am, rain for the remainder of the session
Average ambient temperature: 8°C

Pos Driver Team Best Time Total Laps
1 J Alguersuari Toro Rosso 1:19.919 76
2 P de la Rosa BMW Sauber 1:20.735 58
3 A Sutil Force India 1:21.438 48
4 F Massa Ferrari 1:21.603 72
5 S Vettel Red Bull Racing 1:21.783 59
6 V Petrov Renault 1:22.000 68
7 N Rosberg Mercedes GP 1:22.820 53
8 R Barrichello AT&T Williams 1:23.217 120
9 L Hamilton McLaren 1:23.985 68
10 L di Grassi Virgin 1:37.107 8

Sam Michael, Technical Director: We went straight into a race run on slick tyres in the morning as we knew we would only have a short window before the rain came. After that, it was a wet programme for the rest of the day. We spent the session working on control strategies, systems checks, race starts and a couple of small set-up changes. We had no mechanical problems.

Rubens Barrichello: We basically only had a few laps in the dry this morning but then the rest of our running was done in the wet, so it was hard to find where the limit was and evaluate our performance. I’m looking forward to getting back in the car tomorrow and getting some more mileage in.

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Post by Ed » Sun Feb 14, 2010 12:14 pm

JEREZ TEST 13TH FEBRUARY 2010
DAY 4 OF 4
Circuit: Jerez de la Frontera 4.428km
Objective: Set-up work with the FW32
Weather: Damp in the early part of the morning, dry for the remainder of the session
Average ambient temperature: 8°C

Pos Driver Team Best Time Total Laps
1 L Hamilton McLaren 1:19.583 113
2 A Sutil Force India 1:20.180 84
3 R Barrichello AT&T Williams 1:20.341 90
4 R Kubica Renault 1:20.358 86
5 M Schumacher Mercedes GP 1:20.613 84
6 S Vettel Red Bull Racing 1:21.203 90
7 F Massa Ferrari 1:21.486 160
8 P de la Rosa BMW Sauber 1:22.134 105
9 L di Grassi Virgin 1:22.912 63
10 J Alguersuari Toro Rosso 1:24.072 98

Sam Michael, Technical Director: After a damp start to the day, we went through some set-up work with Rubens during the afternoon run and made good progress understanding the car. We also worked on systems in the background. Unfortunately, we had to stop earlier than planned due to an issue with the gearbox. The parts were quite high mileage, so we are understanding where those limits are now. Overall, the test has been quite useful for putting mileage on the car, sorting out reliability issues and making progress on set-up.

Rubens Barrichello: We concentrated on set-ups today and completed 90 laps before we had the problem which the team are investigating now. The car has performed well these past two days and we’ve discovered some interesting things which will help us move it forward. I was hoping to go for a performance run at the end of the day because the car felt good, but unfortunately my session was cut short. There’s work to do in terms of improving performance, but I’m happy with the results that are coming out.

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Post by Ed » Thu Feb 18, 2010 10:52 am

JEREZ TEST 17TH FEBRUARY 2010

DAY 1 OF 4

Circuit: Jerez de la Frontera 4.428km
Objective: Set-up work & systems checks with the FW32
Weather: Intermittent rain all day
Average ambient temperature: 13°C

Pos Driver Team Best Time Total Laps
1 S Vettel Red Bull Racing 1:22.593 99
2 L Hamilton McLaren 1:23.017 72
3 F Massa Ferrari 1:23.204 72
4 S Buemi Toro Rosso 1:23.322 79
5 P de la Rosa BMW Sauber 1:23.367 76
6 M Schumacher Mercedes GP 1:23.803 111
7 A Sutil Force India 1:24.272 28
8 P di Resta Force India 1:25.088 74
9 V Petrov Renault 1:26.237 55
10 R Barrichello AT&T Williams 1:27.320 109
11 F Fauzy Lotus 1:31.848 76
12 T Glock Virgin GP 1:32.417 10

Sam Michael, Technical Director:
Today the track was generally damp with only a few windows to run dry tyres. Although we covered a good number of laps, we had a couple of small mechanical problems that cost us track time when the grip was at its highest. We continue running tomorrow with Rubens.

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Post by Ed » Fri Feb 19, 2010 9:31 am

JEREZ TEST 18TH FEBRUARY 2010
DAY 2 OF 4

Circuit: Jerez de la Frontera 4.428km
Objective: Set-up work & systems checks with the FW32
Weather: Intermittent rain all day
Average ambient temperature: 12°C

Pos Driver Team Best Time Total Laps
1 R Barrichello AT&T Williams 1:27.145 98
2 V Petrov Renault 1:27.828 56
3 S Vettel Red Bull Racing 1:28.162 70
4 N Rosberg Mercedes GP 1:28.515 71
5 F Massa Ferrari 1:28.879 92
6 P de la Rosa BMW Sauber 1:29.691 8
7 P di Resta Force India 1:30.344 33
8 T Glock Virgin GP 1:30.476 72
9 V Liuzzi Force India 1:30.666 24
10 L Hamilton McLaren 1:30.979 57
11 S Buemi Toro Rosso 1:32.678 57
12 H Kovalainen Lotus GP 1:33.554 30

Sam Michael, Technical Director:
Rubens finished off another wet day in Jerez having covered a lot of mileage for reliability. He also completed some systems checks and carried out a programme of pitstop practice. All the pitstops were done under wet conditions and we're working on some refinements for tomorrow when Nico will take over."

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Post by Ed » Sat Feb 20, 2010 7:50 pm

JEREZ TEST 19TH FEBRUARY 2010
DAY 3 OF 4

Circuit: Jerez de la Frontera 4.428km
Objective: Pitstop practice, race simulation & set-up work with the FW32
Weather: Dry all day
Average ambient temperature: 13°C

Pos Driver Team Best Time Total Laps
1 M Webber Red Bull Racing 1:19.299 115
2 F Alonso Ferrari 1:22.115 132
3 J Button McLaren 1:20.394 101
4 N Hulkenberg AT&T Williams 1:21.432 138
5 M Schumacher Mercedes GP 1:21.437 79
6 R Kubica Renault 1:21.916 100
7 A Sutil Force India 1:21.939 69
8 K Kobayashi BMW Sauber 1:22.228 28
9 J Alguersuari Toro Rosso 1:22.564 120
10 L di Grassi Virgin GP 1:23.504 34
11 H Kovalainen Lotus GP 1:23.521 68

Sam Michael, Technical Director:
Finally a dry day! Nico spent most of the morning doing pitstop practice with the race team before moving on to a race simulation. He then followed that up with a long run for set-up work. The cause of the problem which forced Nico to stop out on track towards the end of the session was hydraulic, but the part was high mileage. Nico will spend the evening working on set-ups and will continue running tomorrow for our last day in Jerez.

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Post by Ed » Fri Feb 26, 2010 10:23 am

BARCELONA TEST 25TH FEBRUARY 2010
DAY 1 OF 4

Circuit: Circuit de Catalunya, Barcelona 4.655km
Objective: Set-up work & systems checks with the FW32
Weather: Dry but cloudy all day, with some wind
Average ambient temperature: 12°C

Pos Driver Team Best Time Total Laps
1 M Webber Red Bull Racing 1:21.487 109
2 N Hulkenberg AT&T Williams 1:22.407 82
3 N Rosberg Mercedes GP 1:22.514 107
4 P de la Rosa BMW Sauber 1:23.144 73
5 J Button McLaren 1:23.452 101
6 V Liuzzi Force India 1:24.064 65
7 F Alonso Ferrari 1:24.170 74
8 V Petrov Renault 1:24.173 74
9 J Alguersuari Toro Rosso 1:24.869 111
10 L di Grassi Virgin 1:27.057 31
11 F Fauzy Lotus 1:28.002 76

Sam Michael, Technical Director: Nico spent our first day of four in Barcelona working on set-up, long runs and systems checks, like cooling. We also did some aero testing. Tomorrow, Nico will drive Chassis 02 and continue working through our programme.

Nico Hülkenberg: We had a good day. I did quite a lot of laps on different set-ups so we can continue to learn how the car will react. It’s my last day tomorrow, so I’m looking forward to getting lots of laps in to be in the best possible shape for Bahrain.
Last edited by Ed on Sun Feb 28, 2010 10:30 am, edited 2 times in total.

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Post by Ed » Sat Feb 27, 2010 10:52 am

BARCELONA 26TH FEBRUARY 2010
DAY 2 OF 4

Circuit: Circuit de Catalunya, Barcelona 4.655km
Objective: Aero evaluations, starts practice & set-up work with the FW32
Weather: Dry and sunny all day, with some light wind
Average ambient temperature: 16°C

Pos Driver Team Best Time Total Laps
1 N Hulkenberg AT&T Williams 1:20.614 99
2 F Alonso Ferrari 1:20.637 134
3 P de la Rosa BMW Sauber 1:20.973 114
4 V Liuzzi Force India 1:21.056 90
5 S Vettel Red Bull Racing 1:21.258 125
6 J Alguersuari Toro Rosso 1:21.571 104
7 M Schumacher Mercedes GP 1:21.689 85
8 L Hamilton McLaren 1:22.152 93
9 R Kubica Renault F1 1:24.912 53
10 J Trulli Lotus 1:25.524 70
11 T Glock Virgin 1:25.942 52

Sam Michael, Technical Director: Nico finished his last day of winter testing today with a good run of laps. Our programme included the evaluation of a new sidepod, starts practice and some additional work on the set-up of the FW32. We're making progress, but there’s still plenty to do.

Nico Hülkenberg: We’ve had a good test here. P1 today is nice but means nothing, to be honest. We’re not in Bahrain yet! It’s positive for the team, and for me, to know what the car can do though. We did a lot of set-up work today and have found some interesting things so I feel ready and confident to go to Bahrain now.
Last edited by Ed on Sun Feb 28, 2010 10:27 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Post by Ed » Sun Feb 28, 2010 10:25 am

BARCELONA 27TH FEBRUARY 2010
DAY 3 OF 4

Circuit: Circuit de Catalunya, Barcelona 4.655km
Objective: Set-up work & long run evaluations with the FW32
Weather: Intermittent rain in the morning, dry afternoon
Average ambient temperature: 12°C

Pos Driver Team Best Time Total Laps
1 N Rosberg Mercedes GP 1:20.686 128
2 S Buemi Toro Rosso 1:21.413 106
3 J Button McLaren 1:21.450 106
4 R Barrichello AT&T Williams 1:21.975 101
5 F Massa Ferrari 1:22.344 115
6 V Petrov Renault F1 1:22.523 68
7 A Sutil Force India 1:22.606 61
8 S Vettel Red Bull Racing 1:23.123 51
9 J Trulli Lotus GP 1:25.059 102
10 K Kobayashi BMW Sauber 1:26.216 105
11 T Glock Virgin Racing 1:26.305 31

Sam Michael, Technical Director: Today we had some interruptions caused by rain, but we still managed to achieve just over one hundred laps working on race runs and set-up with Rubens. We're now focussing our attention on some more set-up work for the final day of winter testing.

Rubens Barrichello: We covered 101 laps today, which is always good. Unfortunately, we had some rain during the day which affected the programme a little bit. Everything that the team has brought to this test seems to be working well, so it’s been a positive day altogether

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Post by Ed » Sat Mar 13, 2010 7:56 am

BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX PRACTICE

Sam Michael, Technical Director
“It was a very busy day with the usual teething problems. We lost some track time due to an electrics problem in the garage in the morning and we also had minor technical issues to resolve on the cars. We then had a much more productive afternoon looking at race set-ups and qualifying preparation. We have more work to do, but nothing that looks unachievable. It has been a marathon effort from everyone at Williams and Cosworth to get us to this stage and soon the hard work will start to pay off.

Nico Hulkenberg
“It’s still very difficult to form a picture of where everyone is at competitively, but I am satisfied that we had a relatively good day today and managed to compete everything we set out to do. The ambition remains the same, to make sure we get through to Q3 and to finish the weekend with some points.”

Rubens Barrichello
“Because we had some minor issues in the garage today, we didn’t get as much track time as we wanted. We didn’t manage to finish our programme, but I am confident tomorrow will be a better day and we will catch up on the lost time. There has been an enormous amount of work and effort from everyone at Williams to get this far, which deserves my thanks.”

SESSION 1 AIR & TRACK TEMP WEATHER
29 - 300C / 36 - 440C Sunny
TOP 3
A Sutil 1:56.583
F Alonso 1:56.766
R Kubica 1:57.041

SESSION 2
33 - 340C / 36 - 480C Sunny
TOP 3
N Rosberg 1:55.409
L Hamilton 1:55.854
M S‘macher 1:55.903

N HULKENBERG
1st Session: 1:57.894 (12th) 20 LAPS
2nd Session: 1:56.501 (6th) 26 LAPS
Chassis FW32-01 Engine CA120

R BARRICHELLO
1st Session: 1:58.782 (15th) 11 LAPS
2nd Session: 1:57.452 (13th) 21 LAPS
Chassis FW32-03 Engine CA122

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Post by Ed » Sun Mar 14, 2010 2:56 am

BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX QUALIFYING
SATURDAY 12 MARCH, 2010

It was a solid if unspectacular start to the AT&T Williams team 2010 season today, with both Rubens and Nico progressing into the second qualifying session, but failing to meet their ambitions to finish the day inside the top ten. Both drivers remain confident of a strong performance tomorrow in a race to be run to new and significantly different regulations.

Rubens Barrichello:
I think Williams did well today, not as well as any of us would wish, but we have had some minor problems and we lost some running time yesterday. This meant we were playing catch up this morning. But our general direction is good, we have a good understanding in the garage and we have real belief in the team. So we almost made it to final qualifying - I was just a little bit behind Jenson, so it was not so bad and of course I have some new tyres for tomorrow, which will be helpful.

Nico Hulkenberg:
I had hoped to achieve more in my first qualifying session, but we didn’t get the car quite perfect and I didn’t manage to put the good lap together. This combination is very costly as you would expect in Formula One and we didn’t therefore make it into Q3. It is probably not worth speculating too much on the race tomorrow, the only thing I can say with certainty is that it will be tough for everyone and I believe the key thing will be managing our tyres well.

Sam Michael, Technical Director:
We thought we should be able to get through to Q3, but it wasn't to happen today. Rubens did well to make up some ground after practice and it was Nico's first Formula One qualifying session. Our focus is now on the race, using our normally competitive starts to make position on the first lap and then race hard for points. Thank you also to our mechanics who've put in some really hard hours trackside over the last three days.

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