Williams vows not to give up on 2013 F1 car despite pointless start

Ahead of its 600th F1 start at the British Grand Prix, Williams has yet to score a world championship point in 2013 on the back of struggles with its FW35.

But although the difficulties may have tempted it to switch all its resources on to the challenge of the new 2014 regulations, deputy team principal Claire Williams says the outfit is determined to get itself back in shape this year.

She insists that the team must understand exactly what went wrong with the design of its car over the winter, and is adamant another stumble next year would be unacceptable.

When asked by AUTOSPORT in an exclusive interview how the team was now planning to divide its work between 2013 and 2014, she said: "It is simultaneous. You have to do both simultaneously.

"We would never give up on the current car, and you have to run in parallel with everything you do.

"We are looking at the issues we have at the moment with this car, and we are trying to resolve those.

"Then, we are looking ahead to next year to make sure that we have everything in place, so the mistakes that were made over the winter are not repeated and we come out where we want to be next year.

"To have a repeat is not acceptable, but to move forward into this season, repeating current performance is not acceptable either.

"Everyone knows that. Everyone at Williams is there to win.

"They know that is why they are there, to make sure that they work to the best of their abilities to deliver a race-winning race car. Everyone is fully aware of that."

Although a lowly position in this year's constructors' championship would have implications for the team's commercial rights income, Williams says that the team's long-term financial situation is not a worry.

"We are a listed company so our results are there for anyone to have a look at," she said.

"We have a really healthy budget to go racing with this year.

"Obviously costs are escalating for next year, but we have a really good commercial team in place. They do a brilliant job.

"It is still in its early days, but we have some really good conversations on the table which I am excited about."