Williams eyes podium return at Monza

Williams head of performance engineering Rob Smedley says the British squad is keen to repeat its 2014 Monza podium during this weekend’ Italian Grand Prix.

Coming off a disappointing outing at Spa, the Grove-based outfit looks to bounce back immediately at the ultra-fast classic venue, where Felipe Massa led team-mate Valtteri Bottas to a three-four finish 12 months ago.

Although the Finn recently admitted that Williams had “expected more” from the 2015-spec FW37, Smedley is adamant it remains well-suited to Monza’s unique characteristics.

“It is a specialist circuit and, like the rest of the teams, we will be taking a dedicated aero package,” said the British engineer.

“It’s a great circuit and a challenge for both engineers and drivers to get right. There are some very high speed straights with big braking zones with some fast and medium speed corners too.

“Ascari is a real challenge and Parabolica needs a good front end which fortunately the FW37 has. It’s a test for the drivers as they will have the lowest drag set up of the year, which takes time to get used to during the first Friday session.

“Last year we were on the podium so we look to replicate that performance and carry on outscoring our closest competitors.”

Williams currently sits third in the Constructors’ standings with 161 points. This means the British squad is in a bit of a no man’s land between runner-ups Ferrari (252 points) ahead and fourth-placed Red Bull (108) behind.

Click here for Chris Medland's Italian Grand Prix preview and bold podium prediction. 

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter