Why Williams face a 'yo-yo season' depending on which way the wind blows

Williams

Why Williams face a 'yo-yo season' depending on which way the wind blows

The FW43B is very sensitive to wind and changes of direction

Ian Parkes

Monday 15 March 2021 13:59

George Russell has revealed Williams is steeling itself for a 'yo-yo season' after developing a car that has clawed back lost downforce but is incredibly wind sensitive.

Russell declared his sole day of pre-season testing in the FW43B on Sunday as "very productive" after completing 158 laps of the Bahrain International Circuit, and with no reliability issues.

But like reserve driver Roy Nissany and team-mate Nicholas Latifi before on Friday and Saturday respectively, Russell discovered the car has a flaw which means that on any given day and track it will be quick or slow.

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In attempting to reclaim downforce lost to the regulation changes around the floor and rear of a car, Williams seemingly has a better challenger on its hands than last year, albeit one that will be subject to the elements.

"We knew ahead of this season, and confirmed in these days [in Bahrain], that our car was incredibly sensitive to the wind," said Russell.

"The conditions of these past three days have probably brought out the worst of the car, which has been positive in ways to analyse.

"But equally I think you will see our performance as a bit of a yo-yo this season, and unfortunately, quite often in the hands of the wind."

The belief inside Williams is that with 23 races there will be enough opportunities on the days when wind speeds are low that the car will come into its own and be good enough to finish inside the top-10 and finally end the team's 27-race points drought.

"We've opted to go down a bit of a route to give more downforce, but at the expense of being a bit more sensitive," added Russell.

"That was our decision. We recognised if we were consistently at a set pace, as we probably were last year, we consistently won't be scoring points.

"You've only got to be quick at two races, for example, and we will potentially finish eighth or ninth in the constructors' championship. We want to try to be as quick as possible when the stars almost align.

"It is uncommon to have three days as we've seen in Bahrain with wind strength, so it's not as though it's something crazy. Every team experienced it.

"But it was a small decision we made because ultimately we believed we would produce better results at some races."

Williams has discovered its FW43B is particularly prone to yaw - a side-to-side motion that changes the direction a car is pointing - at low speed in windy conditions.

But on a calm day, there are positives. Russell said: "When the wind is in a favourable direction, where the winds are lower and on a track that's maybe a bit more high-speed, the car is very fast.

"The positive is there is a fast race car in there, but unfortunately it's almost out of our hands where we can excel."