Sam Michael: “Keep working”

Respectively 15th and 17th, Rubens Barrichello and Pastor Maldonado have still not managed to open their points counter. Despite developments, the Wiliams FW33 fails to knock on the doors of the Top 10. Technical Director Sam Michael explains.

How would you summarize the performance of the FW33s in Istanbul?
I think our performance was better than in previous GPs, especially in qualifying. But we are in this middle of the pack where one or two tenths can play on the final position. We must continue to work to improve.

There were new items on the car. What were they, and what impact did they have on performance?
Although we had new components, we only raced with the new front wing and the new rear brake ducts. We had some preparation problems with the rear wing and therefore decided not to race with it. We plan to test it again in Barcelona.

You have opted for three stops with your two cars. For what ?
We thought it would be more efficient. However, we put our rear tires through more pain than some teams. Tire degradation was greater than expected. In hindsight, we should have done like Lotus Renault GP and opt for a four-stop strategy.

At top speed, Rubens and Pastor were 12 km/h slower than the fastest car. Is there an explanation for the car?s low top speed?
The new rear wing has greatly improved our top speed, so we are considering integrating it into the car for the next round.

The next stop is Barcelona. A circuit where winter tests took place. What do you expect from this race?
We will have a new broadcaster to try in Barcelona, ​​which should improve our performance by a decent amount.

Discover in your AUTOhebdo magazine, on newsstands tomorrow, the complete analysis of the Turkish Grand Prix by our special correspondents in Istanbul.