Williams deputy team principal Claire Williams thinks the British outfit is entering the “hardest” part in its recovery, as it seeks to reel in Mercedes and Ferrari.
Williams has experienced a renaissance in the latest turbo era, securing third in the Constructors’ championship for the past two seasons after a series of tough campaigns that had culminated in dismal 5-point scores in both 2011 and 2013.
While Williams admits a major overhaul was needed to get the team out of the doldrums, she feels the challenge that lies ahead is even greater.
“The hardest piece of the puzzle is now in that ‘how do we close the gap to the Ferraris and Mercedes and fight for a championship?’” Williams said at the Autosport International show.
“[When you are] doing so badly you've obviously got so many things wrong in your organisation and you know what they are, you've got to change them, but this is the hardest piece of work for us now moving forward.”
William’s return to form has mostly been attributed to their switch to Mercedes power ahead of the 2014 campaign and the introduction of the 1.6-litre V6 turbocharged units.
However, Williams insists that car chassis remains a key performance factor, and says her team needs to further improve in that field in order to complete its revival.
“We have a great power unit in Mercedes and we're very fortunate that we made that decision to jump from the Renault and take the Mercedes power unit.
“But it's as much about the chassis as it is the power unit and the Mercedes guys have done a fantastic job on their chassis, they have a great power unit and therefore they're dominating.
“We need to do a better job on our chassis in order to take the fight to them.”
Williams last won the Constructors’ title in 1997, with French Canadian Jacques Villeneuve also sealing the Drivers’ crown that year. The team’s most recent victory stretches back to Pastor Maldonado’s 2012 Spanish Grand Prix win.
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