
F1's brutal nature laid bare by Williams's plight
Williams's efforts to hastily build its car were - understandably - overlooked because it missed the first two days of testing. It found out the hard way that anything less than perfection can quickly be exposed as a major weakness in F1
Like time and tide, Formula 1 waits for no-one. Williams found this out the hard way earlier this week when delays to the build of its FW42 left it facing a battle to get the car out to Barcelona for the beginning of pre-season testing.
Eventually, after a mammoth effort in the race bays at Grove, a dash to Birmingham airport, a flight to Girona on an Antonov AN-26B that got in at 2.15am, and then a 4am arrival at the circuit, George Russell was finally able to hit the track on Wednesday afternoon.

Jonathan Noble is Motorsport.com’s Formula 1 editor. Having graduated from University of Sussex Jonathan worked for sports news agency Collings Sports reporting on F1, F3, touring cars and other sports, with articles appearing in The Daily Telegraph, The Independent, Reuters, Autosport and other publications. In 1999 he moved to Haymarket Publishing to become a senior editor at Autosport Special Projects, and one year later he became Autosport’s grand prix editor. In 2015 he moved to Motorsport Network, becoming the F1 editor for Motorsport.com. He is also a member of the Guild of Motoring Writers, and sits on the FIA Media Council.
Red Bull's Gasly feels Honda F1 engine gains in week of 'good news'
Gary Anderson ranks the teams after test one
More from Jonathan Noble

Why Saudi Arabia is not put off by its F1 critics
Why Saudi Arabia is not put off by its F1 critics Why Saudi Arabia is not put off by its F1 critics

F1 ready for talks to revise cost cap rules
F1 ready for talks to revise cost cap rules F1 ready for talks to revise cost cap rules

No shame in copying Red Bull F1 car concept says Mercedes
No shame in copying Red Bull F1 car concept says Mercedes No shame in copying Red Bull F1 car concept says Mercedes

Why McLaren's revamp is not just about its 2023 F1 car struggles
Why McLaren's revamp is not just about its 2023 F1 car struggles Why McLaren's revamp is not just about its 2023 F1 car struggles

Key out, Sanchez in as McLaren restructures F1 team
Key out, Sanchez in as McLaren restructures F1 team Key out, Sanchez in as McLaren restructures F1 team

Why Red Bull’s biggest F1 adversary is now itself
Why Red Bull’s biggest F1 adversary is now itself Why Red Bull’s biggest F1 adversary is now itself

Red Bull's F1 rivals sense "duty" to fight back than moan about dominance
Red Bull's F1 rivals sense "duty" to fight back than moan about dominance Red Bull's F1 rivals sense "duty" to fight back than moan about dominance

Ferrari must not “bulls**t itself” over F1 form, says Vasseur
Ferrari must not “bulls**t itself” over F1 form, says Vasseur Ferrari must not “bulls**t itself” over F1 form, says Vasseur
Latest news

Miller "as surprised as you" at Portugal MotoGP lap record in practice
Miller "as surprised as you" at Portugal MotoGP lap record in practice Miller "as surprised as you" at Portugal MotoGP lap record in practice

Frijns: "No pain" ahead of Formula E Sao Paulo return after wrist break
Frijns: "No pain" ahead of Formula E Sao Paulo return after wrist break Frijns: "No pain" ahead of Formula E Sao Paulo return after wrist break

MotoGP doctor gives Pol Espargaro update after violent Portugal FP2 crash
MotoGP doctor gives Pol Espargaro update after violent Portugal FP2 crash MotoGP doctor gives Pol Espargaro update after violent Portugal FP2 crash

Sao Paulo E-Prix "could go down to the last lap" due to slipstreaming nature
Sao Paulo E-Prix "could go down to the last lap" due to slipstreaming nature Sao Paulo E-Prix "could go down to the last lap" due to slipstreaming nature

How Vasseur has begun Ferrari’s mission to keep Leclerc on side
How Vasseur has begun Ferrari’s mission to keep Leclerc on side How Vasseur has begun Ferrari’s mission to keep Leclerc on side

Why Red Bull’s biggest F1 adversary is now itself
Why Red Bull’s biggest F1 adversary is now itself Why Red Bull’s biggest F1 adversary is now itself

How "only tough" Tost's public lack of trust could hurt AlphaTauri
How "only tough" Tost's public lack of trust could hurt AlphaTauri How "only tough" Tost's public lack of trust could hurt AlphaTauri

What Perez's Jeddah joy means for F1’s 2023 hopes for a real title fight
What Perez's Jeddah joy means for F1’s 2023 hopes for a real title fight What Perez's Jeddah joy means for F1’s 2023 hopes for a real title fight

Saudi Arabian Grand Prix Driver Ratings 2023
Saudi Arabian Grand Prix Driver Ratings 2023 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix Driver Ratings 2023

How Perez kept Verstappen’s Saudi Arabian GP surge at bay
How Perez kept Verstappen’s Saudi Arabian GP surge at bay How Perez kept Verstappen’s Saudi Arabian GP surge at bay

The enormous job facing F1 for its Vegas gamble to pay off
The enormous job facing F1 for its Vegas gamble to pay off The enormous job facing F1 for its Vegas gamble to pay off

Testing times for Vasseur, but the true challenge at Ferrari is about to come
Testing times for Vasseur, but the true challenge at Ferrari is about to come Testing times for Vasseur, but the true challenge at Ferrari is about to come
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.