Kubica: Williams still dealing with spare parts shortage in Bahrain

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There will be no riding the kerbs for Williams' drivers this weekend in Bahrain, where life is set to remain "complicated" for the beleaguered team according to Robert Kubica.

Williams rolled out its 2019 FW42 a few days late at Barcelona in pre-season testing and the Grove-based outfit still hasn't made up for the car's production delay, with spare parts remaining in short supply.

In Melbourne, the team's parts shortfall forced Kubica to race his FW42 with a damaged floor, a bruising that occurred in free practice when the Pole ran over a kerb.

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

Unfortunately, Kubica and team mate George Russell will need once again to steer clear of track limits in Bahrain.

"I think realistically speaking we are facing not an easy weekend again," said the Polish driver.

"Knowing the difficulties we had in Australia, it is true that Bahrain is a different configuration and a different specification, but still it is not that from one week to another there will be miracles.

"It is not an easy situation also from a drivers’ point of view because we will be limited with spare parts and everything.

"Looking at what happened to me on the Friday in Australia in FP1, that by going on top of one kerb I get a damaged floor and we didn’t have bits to replace it, it affected probably all weekend."

Williams' current state of affairs - which includes management issues following the departure of technical director Paddy Lowe and a 2019 contender imbedded with a fundamental design flaw - is logically unsettling for its drivers as Kubica underlined.

"The team is trying to get us the best car we can have to drive," he added.

"But on the other hand, I think in a perfect world you would have fresher parts starting the weekend, plus having some spare parts, and in a good state."

"It is putting the driver in a difficult position. Tomorrow the situation is like it is, you cannot go over the kerbs or you go over the kerbs but the risk is that the car will fall apart, and then you have no parts to fit them.

"We are already lacking performance, and we are adding another factor which is complicating our life. But I know in the factory everyone is working hard.

"We just need a bit more time to fix the issue."

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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.