Williams upbeat for Monaco

Williams Martini Racing head to the French Riviera third in the Constructors standings following a consistent start to the 2015 campaign, with drivers Bottas and Massa respectively 5th and 6th in the drivers' championship.

With Mercedes currently out of reach, the Grove outfit has set its sights on remaining in contention for 'best of the rest' with rival Ferrari, although the Scuderia appeared to have gained a slight performance edge against Williams in Spain. Hopes of a good showing in the Principality, where a drivers' talent is a true benefit, are high however in spite of the twisty nature of the street circuit not ideally suited to the team's FW37 contender.

"We have come out of the Spanish Grand Prix in a positive position and continue the European leg of the season with a lot of optimism, " says Head of Vehicle Performance, Rob Smedley. " In Barcelona we were quick in the parts of the track that are akin to Monaco, so are hoping for a decent weekend."

The treacherous course which takes no prisoners, and which was once described by Nelson Piquet as "riding a bicycle in a living room", favors precision, consistency and flow in order to gain a good result. But car set-up is also paramount and teams will be up at the crack of dawn on Thursday to prepare for the first day of practice.

"It’ so important to get the drivers in the car and running at a track like Monaco, because rhythm is important, so Thursday practice will be important," Smedley added. " The track isn’t the best suited to our car’s core characteristics, but from what we saw in terms of balance in Spain we are optimistic."

Williams last triumph in Monte Carlo was delivered by Juan Pablo Montoya in 2003.

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