2017 Williams Martini Racing Team - Mercedes

This forum contains threads to discuss teams themselves. Anything not technical about the cars, including restructuring, performances etc belongs here.
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JAPANESE GRAND PRIX
08 OCT 2017

Suzuka Circuit, Japan
5.807 km, 3.609 miles

Race Notes:

- Felipe Massa finished 10th and Lance Stroll retired from the Japanese Grand Prix, his first since Bahrain 13 races ago
- Both drivers had strong starts, Felipe defending his eighth place in the opening corners, while Lance overtook four cars on the first lap to move up to P11
- The safety car was called out early when Sainz spun off and, shortly after the restart, Lance ran off the track and suspected a puncture, so pitted for a new set of tyres which dropped him down the order
- Felipe made his only pitstop on lap 18 from eighth, and earned the place back again when his rivals made their stops. But he suffered damage to his car during the race and struggled for pace, dropping to P10 on lap 43 when Magnussen passed him at Turn 2 and Grosjean also slipped through
- Lance was running 14th in the closing stages when he suffered a failure on the front right and was forced to retire
- Felipe remains 11th in the Drivers’ Championship, with Lance 12th. The team also holds position in fifth in the Constructors’ Championship with 66 points

Paddy Lowe, Chief Technical Officer: We had two pretty good starts, with Felipe retaining eighth and Lance doing very well to move up to 11th on the first lap. But very early on, Lance suspected he had a puncture, so we stopped to put on another set of tyres. This committed him to a two-stop race, which he executed with good pace, but very near the end he had a failure in the Esses which threw him off the circuit. We’ve yet to determine the cause of that incident. On Felipe’s side, he was going fine on a one-stop strategy but took a lot of damage on his car during the race. As he got towards half way, the pace degraded considerably. He lost two places from eighth, but was able to defend 10th and a single point from Alonso in quite a dramatic finish. It was a tough race for both drivers. Even though it was only one point, it feels like one of the more difficult points we’ve scored, so well done to the team, and to Felipe and Lance, for all they’ve done this weekend.

Felipe Massa: It was a very difficult race for us today. I was struggling with the degradation of the tyres with both sets. The other cars had better pace than us today and it’s difficult to understand why. At the end, I lost positions to both Haas in a move that was a little bit tricky, but they were much quicker than me anyway. If they didn’t pass me there, I think they could have passed me afterwards with the pace difference. I’m not happy with the pace today, but looking at the problems we had, we still finished in front of Renault and Toro Rosso, and one point is better than nothing.

Lance Stroll: I had a really good start and was up to 11th, but then I made a mistake in Turn 11, hit Magnussen and I think something went on the car. I had to box really early as I thought something was broken or I had a puncture. Then I had a long stint on the soft tyre, working my way back up, but we were out of the points at that stage. I then felt there was something a bit strange at the front end, and then had a puncture. It is always surprising when you get a puncture, as it is very much unexpected and unfortunate at the same time. I was very close to Ricciardo when I came back on the circuit, but I managed to brake without anything happening. Now we just have to turn the page, as it wasn't a lucky weekend for me, and look forward to Austin.

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It's Monday so:


MASSA: "PROFESSIONAL WILLIAMS WOULD RETAIN ME FOR 2018"
Published on 08 Oct 2017 06:53

Felipe Massa says that if Williams is a professional team, they will keep him on for another season. The Brazilian's seat at the Grove team is not yet secured for next season, after it emerged that Robert Kubica and Paul di Resta will be assessed.

Kubica has been aiming for a full-time comeback since his life-threatening accident in 2011, while di Resta impressed the team when he raced at the Hungarian Grand Prix this year, stepping in for Massa who was sick.

Massa said in Japan: "I'm concerned that the team could choose a path that could bring difficulties for the team. I think Lance [Stroll] has made a lot of progress through the year so perhaps Williams should keep the current lineup. Paddy [Lowe] knows what's best for the team. Unfortunately, this is just Formula 1. I think if Williams acts professionally, they will leave everything as it is."

Asked why he is now so keen to stay in F1 for another year, Massa explained: "In the past three years the cars did not suit my driving style. There was not much grip, the tyres did not work in a good way - it was not fun and I could not compensate with my style. Now, when I can feel that I can push to the maximum, the motivation increases. I still believe I can give a lot to the team."

Fergal Walsh

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Re: 2017 Williams Martini Racing Team - Mercedes

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Robert Kubica testing at Silverstone! Many thanks to Polish supporters!

Image

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and a short video!


Manoah2u
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Re: 2017 Williams Martini Racing Team - Mercedes

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sir frank has seriously gained weight :shock: i didn't even recognise him at first :shock:
"Explain the ending to F1 in football terms"
"Hamilton was beating Verstappen 7-0, then the ref decided F%$& rules, next goal wins
while also sending off 4 Hamilton players to make it more interesting"

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Robert Kubica completes 'successful' Williams test at Silverstone

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/13234 ... liams-test

Robert Kubica has completed a one-day test in a 2014-spec Williams at Silverstone as the Formula 1 team evaluates his potential for a 2018 race seat.

The Pole is pushing for a return to F1 six-and-a-half years after he suffered serious injuries in a rallying crash.

However, he faces competition for the Williams seat alongside Lance Stroll from Paul di Resta, Felipe Massa and Pascal Wehrlein.

Williams has put together a dedicated testing programme in its 2014-spec car, used by Stroll for circuit familiarisation, to see if Kubica is fit enough to return next season.

Kubica completed a full day's worth of running in a white-liveried FW36 in the behind-closed-doors test at a cloudy Silverstone on Wednesday.

Williams said the test was "successful" but it is keen to keep further information under wraps and did not release any details about the amount of laps covered or lap times set.

The team plans to run Kubica again at the Hungaroring - where Kubica drove a 2017-spec Renault for a day during in-season testing in August.

It is believed that test will take place next week, ahead of the United States Grand Prix at Austin, with reserve driver di Resta getting one day of running the following day.

Williams is in no rush to make a decision, given it has the most coveted seat left on the 2018 grid, but it is believed the team would like to be able to make an announcement before the end of the season.

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Re: 2017 Williams Martini Racing Team - Mercedes

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Robert Kubica - Silverstone test!


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Image

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Last edited by LookBackTime on 12 Oct 2017, 00:31, edited 1 time in total.

marmer
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Re: 2017 Williams Martini Racing Team - Mercedes

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Strange that they have removed all the livery. Seems effort for no reason

Webber2011
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marmer wrote:
12 Oct 2017, 08:45
Strange that they have removed all the livery. Seems effort for no reason
I'd imagine it was easier , and less expensive to remove all the old livery that most likely included now defunct sponsors and run a blank car, than to remove all the old livery and replace it with the updated sponsors.

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https://it.motorsport.com/f1/news/primo ... ne-964453/

Google translate:

First test with Williams positive for Robert Kubica at Silverstone


The Polish driver completed the program the Grove team had planned with 2014 FW36. In the afternoon he also made long runs without any problems.

Robert Kubica today completed today in Silverstone the first of two Williams test plans on a FW36-Mercedes 2014 cargo livery in white livery that was used by Lance Stroll during the year for his World Track Run .

The Polish pilot has completed the work program by turning with slick tires, although the track has long been wet in some areas. In the afternoon Kubica finished the long run, as planned by the team, without any problems, confirming at the end of the day a very positive balance.

Today's test is the first test in view of the test scheduled next week on the Hungaroring circuit, track on which Kubica took the first test at the wheel of a Formula One hybrid car last summer at the wheel of Renault. Robert will be on track in one of the two days planned by the team (Tuesday and Wednesday) alternating with Paul Di Resta.

Then for Williams it will be time for decisions. The English team does not seem to be in a hurry to determine who will join Stroll in the 2018 World Cup, but would like to complete the line-up before the weekend that will end the current season, scheduled for late November in Abu Dhabi.

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"Ecclestone: Williams should not hesitate to sign Kubica"

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/eccl ... ontent=www

"Ecclestone has followed Kubica's process closely over recent months, and has no doubts that the former F1 race winner is the man that Williams needs to move forward." ...

... "If I were Williams, I would definitely try to persuade him to join. Maybe they are going to lose Felipe Massa at the end of the year, I should think he has probably had enough, and if Robert is on board then he might wake up a lot of people there.

"The team hasn't been performing as well as it should have done, and whether it is because of drivers or the team in general, I don't know. Nobody knows. So it would be nice to get a guy who should be quick in the car to find out."

"Nico believes like I do very, very much in him. We are going down the same route. He just needs, like all of us in life, a little bit of luck in making sure – and hoping - that Williams wake up."

Kubica, who it is understood was delighted with how the Silverstone test went with Williams on Wednesday, will run again at the Hungaroring on October 18. Paul di Resta will run the day before.

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Re: 2017 Williams Martini Racing Team - Mercedes

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Advanced Vehicle Driving Simulator

Looks like this is the technology they are using for their own F1 simulator! Watch the video!

..."The motion platform, developed by Williams Advanced Engineering, offers up to 60Hz frequency response, delivering class leading six-degrees-of-freedom dynamic performance. This rapid response time further improves driver immersion as their inputs and feedback are experienced at a rate comparable to real driving. To see the system in action view the animation below."...

..."This not only improves immersion but reduces the likelihood of the user experiencing motion sickness. "...

http://www.abd.uk.com/de/kinematics_&_c ... simulators

The most advanced driving simulator available - the aVDS from AB Dynamics - uses cutting edge motion platform with linear motors together with deeply immersive 3D graphics from rFpro for flawless motion cueing.



More info here:

http://www.williamsf1.com/advanced-engi ... technology