Chris Williams: “Having Ott with us is extra motivation”

How does it feel to enter the season with a top driver in your ranks?

C’est vraiment très agréable qu’Ott revienne dans l’équipe. Je suis chez M-Sport depuis 25 ans, donc nous avons eu l’occasion de collaborer par le passé.

Have you ever felt its contribution? Did it allow you to explore avenues that you had not yet followed?

What is certain is that we ran out of time. I believe Ott was reasonably happy with the car after his first few laps. It is true that it requires specific adjustments and we have worked towards it across different areas.

Knowing Ott, do you think he can easily adapt as Sébastien was able to do? Loeb last year ?

I've no idea. I think it's not going too badly so far. What is certain is that there are differences between being the best in testing and reproducing that in special.

How did your team react to the announcement of Ott’s arrival?

It’s clear that having him with us this year is extra motivation. As you can see, there are fewer of us with two cars which should allow us to concentrate better. It is certain that we will focus on Ott.

What are the main developments made to the car for the 2023 season?

Regarding the engine, we worked on the software and on the strategies. I don't know if we can talk about profound changes, but these are changes that drivers can feel in their driving. We have approved some new parts in terms of aero, but it's not spectacular, so you probably don't see them. Finally, we intervened on several elements with many little things that should make the car better.

You encountered several reliability issues last year. Has this been a major theme during the offseason?

We did indeed have problems, but they were mostly of a detail nature. There were also mistakes made. We tried to improve in each area to make the Puma even better and more reliable.