Massa and Williams F1 hope for even more in Bahrain

The results of the week are rather positive for Williams F1 Team which finishes its tests by placing the FW36 at the top of the timesheet with Felipe Massa. If the times have no value this week, the 86 laps completed today by the Brazilian are a first indication of the reliability of the V6 Mercedes. “It was a good day for us”, assures Rod Nelson, the testing director. “It's what we had hoped for at the start of the week, but it's still good to have accumulated some riding at the end. We would still have liked to do more laps, but several red flags interrupted our stints and these 86 laps remain a good result. We still have a lot of work to do before Bahrain but we are happy with what we have accomplished this week. »

Felipe Massa was able to pilot his new mount in different conditions since the wet track of the morning forced the pilots to put on grooved tires. If the Brazilian would have preferred to stay on dry ground for this last day of testing, he remains satisfied with the work accomplished today where he notably finished almost a second ahead of the Ferrari F14 T of his former teammate Fernando Alonso. “It wasn't a great day because it rained, but we still completed several laps in the rain. It was interesting to see how the car reacts in the wet, with the new tires and the new engine. We were able to do many more laps than in the first three days and that is important. We had no problems with the car today and this is further progress. We must now try to do more laps in Bahrain. I remain happy with my first days at Williams and the work already done this week with the team. »

Williams F1 Team now has two weeks to analyze the data and optimize the reliability of the FW36. The next test session is scheduled for February 19-22 in Bahrain.