Williams hopeful of reliability at Imola

Although the British squad have showed a promising pace so far this year, their reliability has meant they have finished only twice in six Grand Prix starts.

But Williams have been working hard during the three-week break and they believe they are on top of the gearbox problem that forced Australian Mark Webber out of his home Grand Prix.

"Since the last race, the team has been testing at Vallelunga and Barcelona to improve the car's reliability and performance," said technical director Sam Michael in a team preview.

"We have identified the problem we had on Mark's gearbox in Melbourne and put corrections in place to avoid that type of failure again."

Both Webber and teammate Nico Rosberg will be able to use a new Cosworth engine at the Imola race, following their retirements in Australia.

"In order to ensure the best possible engine reliability in Imola, both drivers will start the event with fresh CA2006 Series two engines," said Cosworth's chief of engineering Simon Corbyn.

"As neither Mark nor Nico finished the previous race, they will not suffer a grid penalty as a result of this decision.

"Cosworth continue to work closely with Williams to carefully manage race engine usage and running conditions, while the usual challenge of delivering the best possible performance without compromising engine reliability remains."