Claire Williams is pleased to see her team challenge again for a top-three finish in the Constructors’ championship this year, but admits it would have liked to claim more podiums after securing nine in 2014.
Williams has experienced an invigorating resurgence since switching to Mercedes power in the 1.6-litre V6 turbocharged era, thus sweeping away a series of tough seasons that had culminated in a dismal 5-point score sheet in 2013.
“[2015] for us was all about consolidation,” said the Williams deputy team principal. “If we are able to secure third this year again, that’s fantastic for a team operating on the budgets we are operating on.
“We are operating on a budget that is half or a third of some of the bigger teams out there and I’m really proud of the job that everybody in our team has done. It’s been hard work this year.”
Williams emerged as Mercedes’ nearest rival in terms of raw pace in late 2014, but the Grove-based squad has not been able to take the fight to the reigning champions this year.
While the historic team has managed to jump Red Bull in the 2015 pecking order, it has also slipped behind Ferrari in the mean time, with Valtteri Bottas and Felipe Massa often racing on their own in a no man’s land of fifth and sixth.
“We haven’t had some of the podiums we would have liked to have had but we’ve done the job,” added Claire Williams. “But it’s not over yet, we still go work to do but getting thirds again would be fantastic.”
Bottas and Massa currently have two podiums each this year, the latest coming courtesy of the Finn’s P3 at Mexico last Sunday.
Ferrari may have the upper hand over Williams in 2015, that does not prevent Bottas from heading Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen in the Drivers’ championship, and this despite missing the season opener due to a lower back injury.
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