Williams 2016 car to be significantly different

With the 2015 Formula One season completed and the Williams Martini team securing third in the Constructors championship the Williams team now moves it entire focus onto the 2016 season. In comments to the media Williams Head of Vehicle Performance Rob Smedley has spoken of how the team is encouraged by the "significantly different" car it plans to run in 2016.

Despite finishing third the Williams team did not have as good a season as in 2014 with the number of podium finishes not been as good in 2015.

Smedley explains this by saying: "The end of the season has been slightly lacklustre compared to last year but last year we developed the car right up until the very last moment. This year, having been more comfortable and consolidated in third, our thoughts switched to 2016 and 2017."

Also with the major changes between the 2015 and 2016 cars there was little to be gained by running development parts on the 2015 car looking to improve their performances in the last few races.

"The 2016 car we have in the wind tunnel and the 2015 car are significantly different, so there's nothing we could do from an aerodynamic point of view. Other parts of R&D and the mechanical design we are trialling things all the time.

"We think that everything we are seeing at the minute is good. We're hitting targets. We are always looking, not just at numbers, but in other areas aerodynamic development as well, other significant areas. It's all ongoing, it's a process of getting us back towards the front. At the moment we are reasonably happy with what we are seeing.

"Of course, it's all relative. We could have a stellar development and Ferrari and Red Bull could have an even more stellar one."

"But everything we are seeing at the minute is good, we are hitting targets.

"We are always looking not just at headline numbers but in other areas of aero development, other important areas.

"It's all ongoing, it's a process of getting us back towards the front and at the minute we're reasonably happy with what we're seeing."