Williams' pre-season finally under way
Williams' pre-season finally under way
Williams finally bean their running at preseason testing on the third afternoon of action at the Circuit de Catalunya. George Russel gave the FW42 its first taste of the track after a week which has seen the Grove squad plunged into further misery.
Having finished bottom of last year's constructors' standings, any predictions that things could not get worse for Williams appeared wide of the mark as the team was forced to miss the first two days of testing due to the car not being built.
Follow @GPFansGlobal on Instagram for behind-the-scenes access from across the testing fortnight.
According to reports, a fundamental issue in the design process is to blame, piling pressure on deputy team principal Claire Williams and chief technical officer Paddy Lowe, whose 2017 arrival from five-time reigning champions Mercedes has not had the desired uplift in Williams' fortunes.
There was at least some cheers on Wednesday afternoon, however, as reigning Formula 2 champion Russell began his F1 career in earnest, albeit more than 48 hours later than he would have liked.
Boy, does it feel good to be out on track ???? #F1Testing pic.twitter.com/Gw8NAd6c2P — ROKiT WILLIAMS RACING (@WilliamsRacing) February 20, 2019
BBC Sport reported earlier in the week that Williams anticipates a significant drop in pace on its 2019 car, a worrying prediction given that their rivals on the grid do not appear to have lost significant speed, despite a new set of aerodynamic regulations that had been expected to cut lap times by over a second.
MORE: LIVE! F1 Preseason Testing Day Three
MORE: McLaren atmosphere better than 2018 - Norris
Change your timezone:
Latest News
Fierce rival calls Hamilton F1's GOAT in surprise admission
- 45 minutes ago
Mercedes star tipped to replace struggling driver THIS season
- 1 hour ago
F1 legend issues DAMNING verdict on proposed rule change
- 2 hours ago
Red Bull chief admits interest in poaching TWO rival stars
- 3 hours ago
Audi agree LONG-TERM F1 deal with star driver
- Today 09:13
FIA boss HITS OUT at 'court of public opinion' after interference allegations
- Today 08:27
F1 Standings
Drivers
- Oliver Bearman
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Australia 2024
- MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024
- Grand Prix of China 2024
- Miami Grand Prix 2024
- Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna 2024
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2024
- Grand Prix du Canada 2024
- Gran Premio de España 2024
- Grand Prix of Austria 2024
- Grand Prix of Great Britain 2024
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Italy 2024
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2024
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2024
- Grand Prix of the United States 2024
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
- Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2024
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024
- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media
Innovatieweg 20C7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860