Bottas to debut Williams FW38 in Barcelona F1 test

Williams has become the latest F1 team to confirm its schedule for the upcoming pre-season tests, with Valtteri Bottas set to debut the FW38 in Barcelona next Monday.

The British outfit will roll out its new Mercedes-powered challenger in the pit lane of the Spanish Grand Prix venue on the morning of February 22. The Finn will return on the following Tuesday before handing the wheel over to team-mate Felipe Massa, with whom he forms an unchanged driver line-up at Grove.

The Brazilian veteran will wrap up the opening four-day group session, and Williams will use a similar organisation for the second test that takes place on March 1-4.

Having gradually slipped down into the doldrums from 2005-2013, Williams has enjoyed a noticeable recovery in the latest 1.6-litre V6 turbocharged era, securing third in the Constructors’ championship for the past two seasons along with 13 podiums and one pole position.

Williams deputy team principal Claire Williams has already warned that her outfit is entering the “hardest” part in its return to form, as it seeks to reel in Mercedes and Ferrari and challenge for the title.

Williams last won the Constructors’ championship in 1997, with Jacques Villeneuve also securing the Drivers’ crown that year. The team’s most recent victory dates back to Pastor Maldonado’s 2012 Spanish Grand Prix success.

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