Canadian GP: AT&T Williams GP De-brief

Sam Michael gives a debrief of the Canadian Grand Prix weekend which saw the team again fail to come away with any points.

Sam Michael, Technical Director Q&A

Q: Please sum up the performance of the FW32 in Montreal.
SM: We saw a marked performance improvement with the car in Canada, as demonstrated by the times the drivers achieved in qualifying and during the race. We raced all of the aero upgrade parts we took to Canada, including the front wing, diffuser and brake ducts, and they worked as expected.

Q: You introduced a new front wing over the weekend. Did that bring any specific performance benefits?
SM: The new front wing gave us more downforce around Montreal, and it will stay on the car for Valencia.

Q: How much work did AT&T Williams put into the low downforce package that it ran in Canada?
SM: We ran a couple of programmes in the wind tunnel to get the most efficient iteration of the rear wing. To be honest, the rear wing is the main difference for low drag tracks now with the top bodywork being so clean due to the rules.

Q: Why do you think the tyre degradation was so bad at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve this year?
Could AT&T Williams control it better than other teams?
SM: Tyre degradation at Montreal was caused by graining. This sometimes occurs when grip levels are very low which makes it difficult to generate load and therefore sufficient temperature in the tyre. Every team had similar problems though.

Q: Brakes usually take a pounding in Canada. Did you have any problems, other than those experienced by Rubens as a result of accident damage?
SM: We didn’t experience any problems with the brakes, although Rubens did suffer with a long pedal which reduced his braking efficiency. This was caused by overheating following the damage sustained to the front wing.

Q: The drivers made seven pitstops between them during the race. Please explain the reasons for the unplanned stops.
SM: RB had one unplanned stop due to his accident with Alguersuari. Nico had an extra stop due to his accident with Sutil. Nico’s third trip through the pitlane wasn't for a pitstop; it was a drive through
penalty incurred for speeding in the pitlane during his second stop.

Q: Nico Hulkenberg was closer to Rubens this weekend. In what areas did he take a step forward in Canada?
SM: Things are coming together for Nico now so it's getting a lot closer between the two of them. It's a great combination of youth and experience which will yield results as the car’s pace improves.

Q: The team has an upgrade package scheduled for the next race in Valencia. How do you expect it to perform?
SM: Our next major upgrade is planned for release at the British Grand Prix after Europe. For Valencia, we will be taking the blown rear wing with us to test again.

Championship Tables After 8 of 19 Races

Drivers
1 L Hamilton 	109
2 J Button 		106
3 M Webber 	103
4 F Alonso 	94
5 S Vettel 		90
6 N Rosberg 	74
7 R Kubica 	73
8 F Massa 	67
12 R Barrichello 	7
17 N Hulkenberg 	1

Constructors
1 McLaren 	215
2 Red Bull Racing 	193
3 Ferrari 		161
4 Mercedes GP 	108
5 Renault 		79
6 Force India 	35
7 Toro Rosso 	8
8 AT&T Williams 	8
9 BMW Sauber 	3
10 Lotus Racing 	0