F1 News, Reports and Race Results

Williams qualifying performance down to circuit, not car - Lowe

Paddy Lowe says Williams' performance in qualifying in Baku was enhanced more by the track's characteristics rather than by any significant improvement of its car.

Lance Stroll and Sergey Sirotkin easily made the Q2 cut on Saturday, a first this year for the Russian, and ultimately concluded the day just outside the top-ten, the Canadian missing out on Q3 by a mere 0.103 seconds.

On Friday, Lowe revealed the Grove-based outfit had initiated a major operation to fix the issues impacting its FW41. While the 2018 charger has made a step forward, Williams' technical director insisted the results of Saturday's afternoon session were deceptive.

"It's great morale for the team to get two cars into the top of Q2 and almost into Q3, and underneath that there are some incremental improvements we've made in all sorts of areas, whether to the car or operationally," Lowe told Autosport.

"But on the other hand, this circuit suits our car well, it was the same last year.

"We're not under the illusion that we've made this much progress in terms of overall performance."

Lowe also minimized the impact of its Mercedes power unit being allowed to run a stronger mode for longer in qualifying, a benefit Force India's Otmar Szafnauer valued at up to one tenth of a second.

"People will talk a lot about that but if that was a factor then you would see the same differentials emerge with the top three teams, and you would see Mercedes massively quicker at this race compared to the other two," said Lowe.

"I don't believe it's the explanation."

Gallery: The beautiful wives and girlfriends of F1 drivers

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

Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.

Recent Posts

Norris labels McLaren long-run pace ‘shocking’ in chilly Vegas

Lando Norris didn’t hold back in his assessment of McLaren’s performance on the opening day…

39 mins ago

Hamilton delighted with ‘consistently strong day’ in Vegas

Lewis Hamilton was particularly happy with his opening day of running at the Las Vegas…

2 hours ago

Verstappen stuck with 'draggy' rear wing for Vegas

Red Bull fears that its prospects for this weekend's Las Vegas Grand Prix - which…

3 hours ago

Ferrari and Mercedes admit to plank changes based on FIA’s TD

Ferrari and Mercedes have both modified their car’s floor element in Las Vegas to comply…

3 hours ago

Las Vegas GP: Hamilton continues on top in second practice

Lewis Hamilton put Mercedes on top of the timesheets for the second time in Las…

4 hours ago

2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix Free Practice 2 - Results

Full results from Free Practice 2 for the Las Vegas Grand Prix at Las Vegas,…

4 hours ago