Williams so far behind, races will be 'test sessions' - Russell

©Williams

Williams rookie George Russell says the team's FW42 is so far behind its rivals in terms of performance that upcoming races will be considered as "test sessions".

The beleaguered British outfit kicked off its 2019 season with a triple whammy, with a delay to the introduction of its new car, the departure of its high-profile technical director Paddy Lowe and a fundamental flaw discovered on its FW42.

Williams drivers George Russell and Robert Kubica predictably struggled in Melbourne, with both men making up the rear all weekend.

Why was Kubica seized with panic on the grid in Melbourne?

"From a personal perspective, you’ve only got your team mate to compare against," said Russell who concluded his maiden Grand Prix weekend P16, one spot and one lap in front of Kubica.

"Obviously I’m not disappointed to come out on top, but at the end of the day, I’m not interested in fighting him for last. We need to work to make this right.

"Personally I can take a bit of satisfaction from this weekend. I think [Saturday] was a really great day for me.

"I left the circuit with my head held high. [In the race] we knew what we were in for. It wasn’t a fair fight with Robert as he had a bit of damage at the start.

"For both of us, it was just bring the car home and learn as much as we can."

While Russell or Williams would not expand on the inherent problem impacting the performance of the FW42, a fix can't be implemented in the short term.

Upcoming races won't bring any significant improvements, leaving Williams to tackle the next rounds as full scale test sessions.

"We’ve just got to treat these as test sessions because we’re so far behind.

"We've just got to understand it and almost try things to see what works and see what doesn’t, because for now it doesn’t really make much sense to try and optimise everything when we are that far off the pace."

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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.