Williams to disrupt constructors status quo
The ever-improving Williams-BMW team is aiming to unseat one of Formula 1's 'big gun' teams Ferrari or McLaren by the end of the year to take second place in the constructors' championship
Williams has gone from strength to strength this year and took its first win in three years in San Marino this year courtesy of Ralf Schumacher. The team's chief designer Gavin Fisher believes the Grove-based outfit is perfectly poised to take second place.
"The top two teams haven't made much progress compared to last season, and, as regards the rest of the pitlane, they have not made the best of their cars," said Fisher.
"To be brutally honest, the top two are not as strong as they should be and we are ahead of everyone else and closing the gap. Long may that trend continue. We have just got to push the limit."
Williams' main bugbear this season has been reliability and drivers Schumacher and Juan Pablo Montoya have notched up just four finishes from 16 starts between them. Technical director Patrick Head admits that the team has let some points finishes go to waste this year.
"There are quite a lot of points we should have had," said Head, " and if we had picked up those points, then we would have been in a position to be able to fight for the championship."
The BMW V10 is widely acknowledged as the most powerful engine along the pitlane, but the team's continued success depends largely on its tyre supplier Michelin. The French rubber is yet to be as consistent as rivals Bridgestone, but is better in hotter conditions. Fisher said: "We have a preference for higher temperatures."
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