Williams - Disappointing Days
by Julie Gates
The Team: A step forward from last season, but are still well below par compared to "their era," where they reigned supreme. They lack power from their Mechachrome engine and have been hampered with poor reliability. They haven't qualified well, with their worst performance at the Monaco Grand Prix seeing their drivers down on the eighth and ninth rows. On average they have qualified on the sixth row - a clear indication that more speed needs to be found. Nonetheless, Ralf Schumacher has finished on the podium twice (at Australia and Silverstone) and in the points otherwise. The team have suffered mixed fortunes, with Alex Zanardi rarely completing race distances. Reliability problems from engine blow-ups to differential failures have been the main point of concern.
What can be done: They have been working hard at testing new components, but more often than not reliability will intervene and halts the progress made. Their deal with BMW commences from next season and this is when we will start to see Williams' major fight back. New aerodynamics at Silverstone could herald something of a mini fightback for this season.
Driver - Ralf Schumacher: Has so far performed well, securing all of the team's points so far. He has finished in the points several times - notably the number of race distances he has completed, and has out-qualified his team-mate regularly. He has demonstrated his increased maturity and has now learnt the boundary of driving at the limit. He handles the car well and his natural speed shines through. In qualifying, whilst Zanardi languishes down in fifteenth or sixteenth, Ralf is more likely to be in the top ten. He has exceeded expectations all round.
Driver - Alex Zanardi: His season has been full of misery to date. Qualifying performances have been poor and has trouble finishing races - a then he'swell down on the front-runners! Reliability has cost him dearly, but so have driver errors. He hasn't really met peoples' expectations, as many expected him to be a lot quicker than he has been and at least equal to Schumacher Jnr. However, saying that, the style of cars used in Formula One and CART differ tremendously, and today's era of F1 is totally different to when Alex raced. He has out-qualified Schumacher once and has shown promise on occasions. The Italian star needs to be given the time to shine.
Conclusion: The team have improved over the winter months, but they still lack the inherent speed and reliability to fight for points finishes every race.
Rating: 5/10
Article is written by and copyright © 1999-2001 Julie Gates and The F1 Rumors Site
Julie Gates is happiest watching F1 and writing. Also interested in singing, cars, cinema, reading and going to concerts, she has little spare time to relax, but this is the way she likes it - rather being busy than idle as she can't stand still for five minutes! Totally committed to her career as a Formula One journalist, she is determined to succeed.
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