Williams looking for improvement in Austria

Despite both cars finishing in the points in the Spanish Grand Prix, the team was outpaced by both Ferrari and Renault, and has not won a race in the last 19 attempts.

"Our true potential was not mirrored in the final result we achieved in Barcelona," said Ralf Schumacher. "Our performance during the first third of the race should give us some optimism for the remainder of the season and we need to build on that.

"I'm convinced we've made progress in all areas this week in Le Castellet which we hope we'll be able to translate into a successful result in Austria."

Williams' chief operations engineer Sam Michael is equally optimistic that the team has made a step forward this week. "At Paul Ricard we focused on tyre testing as well as spending some time evaluating brake materials, the suspension and the aero package," he said. "We feel we've made some good progress which we hope to be able to demonstrate next weekend.

"Tyre management is of critical importance at the A1-Ring due to the nature of the track, particularly with the new qualifying and racing regulations. With three long straights rewarding engine power, and two sections of maximum downforce, this track forces a compromised set-up to achieve optimum lap times."