Williams Admit to 'a Lot of Mistakes'

Williams-BMW chief operations engineer Sam Michael sent a rallying call to his troops after admitting the team were to blame for a disappointing showing in the weather-affected United States Grand Prix on Sunday.

Juan Pablo Montoya's hopes of World Championship success this year faded at the start of the race when he made a slow get-away from the grid and they crumbled to nothing after numerous problems and a penalty throughout the race.

Michael admitted the team made "a lot of mistakes overall" but warned: "It is not over yet. We'll go back and look at those mistakes from this Grand Prix. There is still one more race to go and we're still in for a fight."

Williams lost their lead in the Constructors' Championship when Ralf Schumacher spun out in the rain and Montoya finished sixth and Michael said: "It is not good being behind but that is what we are and we'll deal with that."

Montoya struggled for grip in the wet as the team tried to work out what tactics were best in the changeable conditions but Michael admitted they should have performed better on pit wall.

"It is the same for everybody and even with a set of weather conditions it would have been very difficult to forecast but still we should have done a better job than we did," he said.

Montoya's faltering race was ruined by a drive-through penalty handed out to him for a collision with Ferrari's Rubens Barrichello early in the race but Michael said: "The stewards have got to make a decision and we abide by that."