WILLIAMS
Williams was always likely to slip further back the longer the current regulations remain in place due to its budget relative to the likes of Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull, but the FW38 appears to be capable of digging its heels in and remaining close to the front. Testing started slightly slowly for Williams but the second week saw optimism from both drivers as they started to explore the limits of the car.
With Williams switching its focus to its 2016 car early last year, it has given itself the best chance of holding station after consecutive third place finishes in the constructors’ championship. However, the midfield is closing in fast and one of the biggest areas the team will need to improve is operationally having had a tendency to shoot itself in the foot somewhat in recent years.
A weakness in low-speed corners appears to have lessened but not been eradicated completely, but the stability Williams has within key team personnel should ensure it is one of the leading teams in the fight to be best of the rest behind the front two.
Silbermann's view
The nice team that everyone loves finished third again last year, but whereas that result in 2014 was progress, last year the Grove squad appeared to be treading water and were outpaced by Ferrari. They’ve got some great technical people headed up by Pat Symonds, a man who makes technology sound so straightforward that even I can understand it. That said, they made a few odd decisions last year, which they have no doubt looked at over the winter. There is nothing to fault them on when it comes to drivers, with the eternally-young Felipe Massa still capable of delivering the goods, while it should be remembered that Valtteri Bottas was not fully fit for part of 2015.
I have nothing bad to say about this lot primarily because much of Valtteri Bottas’ Twitter feed seems to be about how much he enjoys shooting at things with his Beretta shotgun.
