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Barrichello: Williams needs changes

Williams needs to make further changes to its staff and structure if it is to make the progress it needs to rediscover its top form

That is the view of Rubens Barrichello, who thinks that the staffing upheaval this week - which included Sam Michael resigning and Mike Coughlan being hired - is just the beginning of a revamp that the outfit needs to undertake.

Barrichello believes that as well as sorting out the roles that individuals have within the team, more needs to be done to improve its working processes and internal structure.

"Williams needs changes," declared Barrichello when asked for his reaction to the events of the past week. "There are too many people doing too many jobs right now.

"An example of what it's like would be if I drive the car and then had to get out to check the tyre pressures - that wouldn't work. And there are too many people doing that at Williams.

"We need to define what people do. The wind tunnel is bringing great progress on paper and we have evolutions every day like all teams and new things coming on board, but they don't always translate to the race track. It's not always better and that's why the progression of the team during the year is sometimes better and sometimes not.

"I've been telling the team that a lot because at all of the teams that I've been to, the ones that do really well only put on that car what they really think is going to work. Last year, we made a lot of progress, but there was some stuff that created confusion. It's time for a change and I'm up for it."

Barrichello feels, however, that what needs to change at the team is so extensive that it will probably take some time for its benefit to be felt.

"Unfortunately, there are too many changes so it might take some time before they are really good. But we need these changes because it doesn't matter if you make a driveshaft at this angle or an aggressive gearbox if the rest of the car is not right."

Barrichello said he will be sad to see technical director Sam Michael leave - but felt that the Australian had been left in a position at the team with too much to do.

"Sam is doing five or six jobs, so he's overloaded," explained Barrichello. "It's too much for a single human being. He ends up achieving only half of his own capability doing his own job because he's overseeing other things.

"Sam is a great engineer. He went into the job very early, very young and ended up doing things that he was capable of, but he was still learning. His real capabilities are creating the car and working on the engineering side."

Barrichello also suggested that the team should have consulted him more about what it was planning to do - and not been so quick to speak to the media.

When asked how much the team spoke through things with him, he said: "Not much. I didn't have much to do with it. They asked me about Sam a lot and I'm sad to see him go.

"In my opinion, in the right role for him with other people, he could work very nicely in the team. But that's not up to me to decide - that's Sam's decision. We get on well and he works in a way that I like, he would just need to be put back working on the things that he likes to work on the most. That I was consulted on.

"The rest I got to know - but I would have liked to get consulted as well. It's something that needs changing - Williams needs to work as a family, not keeping things to themselves and going to the press."

Speaking about Coughlan's potential, Barrichello said: "I don't know him very well. People have asked me if it's going to make Williams look bad, but I don't think so.

"I think that people in life only learn by making mistakes. If you make a mistake and then you become a better person, that's the whole attitude of life. If you build a very nice car next year and the car is fast, then the past is long. I welcome him very much with all of his knowledge and hope that he makes a good contribution."

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