Williams: new car a good step forward

Williams believe their new FW30 should deliver them a 'good step forward' in pace this year, the car having made its debut at Valencia in Spain this morning

The Toyota-powered machine's design is a development from last year's FW29, and the team are hopeful that they can build on their performance while also maintaining their strong reliability record from 2007.

Test driver Nico Hulkenberg is shaking down the car today, before race drivers Nico Rosberg and Kazuki Nakajima get their first experience of the car from tomorrow.

Technical director Sam Michael said: "Our focus has been on performance as well as refining our packaging and weight distribution.

"We are designing a tidier car with a higher standard of build quality. The FW30 should represent a good step forward when all of the many small areas of attention and improvement are brought together in the overall package."

The FW30 retains the zero keel and dual pillar rear wing of its predecessor, but has a new three-plane front wing, increase sidepod top cooling vents and taller cockpit sides - as well as a new seamless shift gearbox.

Michael added that he hoped the stability of staff, regulations and engines should have helped the team make a step forward.

"With four years of regulation stability, we have a good basis to be progressive about the development of this season's car," he said. "With a good reliability record last year, we have been able to build on this quality while also turning some of our attention to clear performance objectives."

The car is being run at Valencia in the second of Williams' winter-testing liveries, with this theme thanking the team's staff, fans and sponsors.

The full race livery for 2008 will not be unveiled until the season-opening Australian Grand Prix.