Williams 'set-up breakthroughs' bode well for team - Russell

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George Russell believes a series of recent "set-up breakthroughs' for Williams' FW43 have boosted the team's prospects relative to its Alfa Romeo and Haas rivals.

Williams' Emilia Romagna GP was marked by Russell's costly blunder that occurred when the young Briton lost control of his car behind the Safety Car in the latter part of last weekend's race at Imola.

Russell described the clumsy gaffe - that likely cost team and driver their first top-ten finish in 2020 - as "the biggest mistake I've ever made".

Yet the 22-year-old took away a few positives from his botched Italian weekend that bode well for Williams' upcoming races.

"I need to take a couple of days to sort of reflect on what has just happened," Russell said after last Sunday's event.

"Ultimately as well, I think we got to take away some positives from this.

"I've got to go into the next race with a positive frame of mind, because we need to fight to get ourselves back in this position again.

"In all honesty, I'm confident we can. I think we've made some breakthroughs with the set-up and understanding of the car over the past couple of race weekends.

"I think we are in a really good position to always be on the front foot against Alfa Romeo and Haas, and definitely picking up places when people don't optimise their sessions.

"I just need a couple of days to sort of review, get over it. It's in the past. I'm looking to the future now."

Read also: Williams confirms COVID cases - isolates team members

Russell's rookie teammate, Nicholas Latifi, who finished just outside the points at Imola, reckoned the team's FW43 still has "inherent weaknesses" that are capping the car's performance.

"The car has inherent weaknesses and we were weak in the places where you needed to be quick to get the DRS and even with the tyre advantage I had on the guys in front I couldn’t mount the challenge," said the Canadian.

"It was definitely frustrating I didn’t have quite enough pace but overall pleased with the race itself, especially after what was probably my weakest race in Portugal."

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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.