Williams crucially lacking pace - Smedley

©WRI2

40

William's Rob Smedley left Budapest thoroughly disappointed, the team's head of performance engineering underlining the team's FW38's lack of speed despite a solid drive into the points by Valtteri Bottas.

While the Finn extracted the most from his Williams on Sunday according to Smedley, Felipe Massa's race was pretty much compromised at the outset by a steering rack issue which materialized just before the start.

"I’m disappointed with that result," Smedley acknowledged.

"We had to work very hard for those two points. I think we achieved the maximum we could with Valtteri, he drove a solid race, but the pace of the car is just not there.

"After Felipe’s accident yesterday the car was out of balance and he just couldn’t get into a rhythm. Starting from 18^th with an un-balanced car was always going to be difficult."

Smedley believes Massa's steering issue which materialized on the out-laps just before the start was a direct result of the Brazilian's accident the day before

"We had to re-build the car following his crash in qualifying, which meant the steering was off centre and was heavy in right-hand corners.

"We had to try and get it fixed before the race, both in the garage and on the grid. The guys did a very commendable job."

Williams will now regroup in the few days before next weekend's German Grand Prix at Hockenheim and put its head down in an effort to improve its performance and speed.

"Operationally, the strategy was good today, as were the pit stops. There wasn’t much more we could have done.

"These are tough times for the team. We have to knuckle down, be introspective, work as a team and start to understand how we’re going to get more performance from the car."

REPORT: Hamilton holds off Rosberg to take championship lead

AS IT HAPPENED: Hungarian Grand Prix

Breakfast with ... Marc Surer

Silbermann says ... Birds on the wire

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter

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.