Spanish GP: Williams Martini GP Preview

There are few better places to kick-off the European season than Barcelona. It’s a great city and since the elevation of Fernando Alonso into a global superstar 10 years ago, the Spanish fans have become passionate and knowledgeable about F1.

The layout of the Circuit de Catalunya doesn’t disappoint either. It has every kind of corner, from fast to slow, making it a thorough workout for the cars and a great testing venue. The teams have completed thousands of kilometres at the track since it was built in 1991, but there was no winter testing this year so this weekend will be the first time the 2014 cars have run at the track.

Williams has a good record in Spain, having won the race six times, including its most recent visit to the top step of the podium in 2012.

Rod Smedley:
Spain is a good leveller. Getting back to Europe gives teams the opportunity to bring further upgrades, which we will also be doing. Barcelona and the following two or three races gives everyone a good indication of how the rest of the season will play out and who has made the most progress since the start of the season. The teams and drivers know the track well, meaning we can gain a lot of accurate data on how the upgrades are working. This knowledge is also very useful when back in factory; it
means we can replicate the track and conditions very closely. The track itself has a very good mix of long straights, some high speed corners like Turn 3 and some more technical and slower sections. Turn 3 is important for managing tyre wear so it’s something engineers and drivers have to monitor throughout the weekend. We feel prepared going in to the weekend and are now interested to see where we are in comparison to our competitors.

Felipe Massa:
I have won in Barcelona before which is important as it means I can enjoy the race a little more. I know what it takes to win at the circuit so I can have a little confidence when driving there. Downforce is really important in Spain so we have to make sure the aerodynamic set-up is correct. We have been working on developing the car in this area. Barcelona is historically a place where teams bring upgrades, but as every team does this it’s a case of whose upgrades make the most difference. I am really looking forward to racing again in Europe.

Valtteri Bottas:
As a team we are looking forward to Spain, once we are in Europe it’s easier to bring upgrades out over a race weekend. The time gap between China and Spain has been really important as we have had time to improve the car, although how much we have moved forward is hard to say until we drive it. We haven’t driven in Spain with the current car, which is unusual as in previous years we completed a lot of laps in testing, so we all know the layout well, but will need to work on the set-up.

Race Data
Friday:
Practice 1: 10:00 - 11:30
Practice 2: 14:00 - 15:30
Saturday:
Practice 3: 11:00 - 12:00
Qualifying: 14:00 – 15:00
Sunday: Race: 14:00