Williams Rule Out Winning Start

Frank Williams and Patrick Head have said that Williams are unlikely to compete for victory in Melbourne when the 2005 season kicks off.

The pair told the British press on Monday that the problems causing the new Williams BMW FW27's lack of pace cannot be resolved in time for the Australian Grand Prix.

Williams said that although the team have pinpointed the issues that have contributed to a disappointing pre-season testing campaign, they will not be able to introduce major changes in time for the start of the season.

"It is not a disaster but we are not happy," said Williams. "It's pretty evident the car is not quick enough and we know exactly where 95 per cent of the problem is but we can't fix it by the first race."

All the team's drivers, Mark Webber, Nick Heidfeld and Antonio Pizzonia have suggested that the FW27 suffers from a general lack of downforce, although the car's main problem is believed to come from poor rear-end stability.

But after driving the new car for the first time at Barcelona last week, Pizzonia also indicated that the BMW engine still needs work too. Williams' director of engineering Head confirmed that the chassis problems originated during the wind tunnel design stage, but said that they cannot be cured by a quick fix.

"We haven't exactly been confused but in changing from one wind tunnel to another we have allowed ourselves to be misled," he told the Daily Express. "I'm not going to be too critical on us.

"We have been competitive in recent years but we haven't turned it into Championships. The gap to Ferrari is so big that it makes us all feel second rate. It is an annoyance but there is no point in stomping your feet. I am sure we will be giving them some aggro this season but I don't think it will be in Melbourne."