Williams hitting 2016 F1 aero targets says Rob Smedley

The Grove-based team secured third in the constructors' championship for the second successive year this term, allowing it to stop developing the 2015 machine and focus on both '16 and '17, when the rules are set for an overhaul.

Regarding his expectations for next season, Smedley is encouraged by results coming out of the factory.

"Of course, it's all relative," he said. "We could have a stellar development and Ferrari and Red Bull could have an even more stellar one.

"But everything we are seeing at the minute is good, we are hitting targets.

"We are always looking not just at headline numbers but in other areas of aero development, other important areas.

"It's all ongoing, it's a process of getting us back towards the front and at the minute we're reasonably happy with what we're seeing."

With the rules remaining relatively stable into next season, the cars are expected to be an evolution, with Fernando Alonso saying in Abu Dhabi that half the parts on his McLaren have been built for its 2016 car.

But when asked if Williams had done something similar in the final few races, Smedley said: "No.

"The car we have in the windtunnel for 2016 and the 2015 car we have now are significantly different so we couldn't do anything from an aerodynamic point of view.

"Other parts of R&D and mechanical design, yes we are trialling things all the time.

"Usually you need a package of upgrades with a mechanical car to see any significant laptime improvement.

"All of our significant laptime improvement is back in the windtunnel at Grove."