Williams aim to beat Force India

Brazilian Grand Prix

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Rubens Barrichello, Williams, Korea, 2010

Williams aim to take sixth place in the constructors’ championship off Force India in the final two races of 2010.

Speaking ahead of the Brazilian Grand Prix technical director Sam Michael said:

Our target for the race is very clear; to qualify both cars in the top ten and to improve our position in the constructors’ championship.
Sam Michael

Force India are sixth in the championship, three points ahead of Williams.

It’s Rubens Barrichello’s 18th appearance in front of his home crowd this weekend. He said:

This is my favourite race: I love the city, the people and the attitude of the fans. I just love being there, but it goes by too quickly! The track has a great layout. In my opinion, the double right hander of turns six and seven is one of the best corners in the world. There are places to overtake around Interlagos, while there’s always a chance of rain to make things interesting.

Achieving a good set-up and qualifying result is important, but it’s not always easy to set the car up – you need strong traction and balance. The Williams tends to suit Brazil, and I have a new engine for this race, so we shall see. From the messages I’ve been receiving, I know that the fans want the team to do well this weekend and we’ll be pushing hard to deliver.
Rubens Barrichello

Team mate Nico Hulkenberg is expecting big things from his first visit to the Interlagos circuit:

I haven’t been to Brazil before, but I’m definitely looking forward to going there as everyone says how cool it is. Interlagos is another new circuit for me, and one of the few tracks on the calendar that runs anti-clockwise.

The track itself looks challenging but interesting. I’m particularly looking forward to driving the Senna S, as well as turns six and seven; the fast, double right hander. After Korea, I can’t wait to get back into the FW32 and go racing again. We’ll be looking to get more points at this race.
Nico Hulkenberg

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    32 comments on “Williams aim to beat Force India”

    1. Mach1
      1st November 2010, 18:05

      Will be interesting if Williams don’t sign Barichello for next year. Or not as a main driver any how…

      I hope cosworth can get somthing out of the engine next season. I was hoping Williams would switch to Renault…before we know it Lotus will be passing them :(

      1. Ben
        1st November 2010, 23:37

        why the Cosworth hate? There hasn’t been much to suggest its not competitive.

        I’ve read this by a few people now. I was unsure at first, but there hasn’t been anything to suggest it was a bad decision.

        1. Mach1
          2nd November 2010, 1:20

          Not hate – thats why I said I hope they can get somthing more out of it. I think even williams have said that at some point in an interview recently…so in that regard they must be happy with cosworths development plan i guess…

          I think the feeling was (or at least my feeling) that Renault have a good and proven engine now…well mostly proven, apart from the one that blew last week…whereas cosworth has been seen as the weakest compared to Renault and Mercredes…thats just the impression I get

          but no…if cosworth can do it i’m all for it!

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            Hare (@hare)
            3rd November 2010, 0:06

            From what I’ve heard, Cosworth don’t have a bad engine at all. It’s the associated 3rd party tech that lets the engine down ( Xtrac gearbox hydraulics mostly). Williams have the ability to develop their own kit for the engine, hence selling the gearbox to HRT.

            I think they’ve done a very good job personally, and I hope it can get better next year. They’ve been more reliable than any other engine ( when the associated 3rd party hydraulics hasn’t failed )

      2. BasCB
        2nd November 2010, 7:15

        This link is pretty interesting with regards to the driver situation at Williams and it makes a lot more sense (just think back at Button there) than them just dropping the Hulk for money from Pastor.

        Williams would like to sign Nico for several years so maybe pushing with Maldonado is part of a push to get him and Weber to agree to the deal.

        1. BasCB
          2nd November 2010, 7:15

          sorry forgot to past the link, here comes:
          http://www.motorsport.com/news/article.asp?ID=393035&FS=F1

    2. Raveen
      1st November 2010, 18:42

      i think they are in a financial crisis. will be interesting who they sign next year

      1. Steve
        1st November 2010, 21:48

        I think they are doing better than they have in recent years.

    3. Raveen
      1st November 2010, 18:45

      sure they will be looking for a driver with a good financial backup.

      1. RobertG
        1st November 2010, 20:35

        And none of these drivers (rubens and nico) will put their money in the team!

    4. superted666
      1st November 2010, 19:17

      I’m aware the 10th place constructor receives 10Million (or is it 15?).
      Does anyone know the difference between 6th and 7th?

      Ed

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        US_Peter (@us_peter)
        1st November 2010, 19:58

        I think all those figures are fairly closely guarded secrets. Bernie wouldn’t be too happy if his payout structure became public knowledge. Supposedly though Williams also get some kind of “heritage” payout above and beyond their standard payouts, similar to Ferrari and McLaren, but much less.

        1. BasCB
          2nd November 2010, 6:36

          As far as I remember, Williams might actually get more than McLaren based on their run of succes in the 90s. That said, Ferrari will surely get a lot more still.

    5. Profile Photo

      George (@george)
      1st November 2010, 19:31

      With Abu Dhabi, Singapore and Korea, anti-clockwise tracks aren’t as much of a rarity as they used to be. Seems like a bit of a strange statement when you’re in the middle of three of them.

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        sato113 (@sato113)
        1st November 2010, 21:13

        i never really understood why most tracks are clockwise…

    6. Max
      1st November 2010, 20:20

      I know this has nothing to do with this topic but…

      http://www.forumula1.net/2010/f1/f1-news/ecclestone-labels-new-teams-an-embarrassment/

      “Ecclestone labels new teams an ‘embarrassment’”

      Do you guys have something to say about? This really bothers me.

      1. Profile Photo

        Icthyes (@icthyes)
        1st November 2010, 20:32

        I’d wait for a more trustworthy source but I can well believe it.

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        RIISE (@riise)
        1st November 2010, 20:58

        Erm, yeah that’s believable. Another F1 site making up news.

      3. DeadManWoking
        1st November 2010, 22:11

        Financial Times
        Ecclestone backtracks over F1 flotation
        By Christian Sylt and Caroline Reid

        Published: October 31 2010 23:12

        In contrast, Mr Ecclestone said F1 had not benefited from Hispania, Lotus and Virgin Racing – the three new teams that joined the sport this year. None has yet scored a point and they occupy the bottom three places in the standings.

        “They do nothing for us, they are an embarrassment,” said Mr Ecclestone, adding: “We need to get rid of a few of those cripples.”

        The Lotus team would be worth keeping, he argued, while calling on Sir Richard Branson to invest more in Virgin Racing, which lies last in the standings.

        “Richard should put some money in there shouldn’t he? He could do what [Red Bull founder Dietrich Mateschitz] has done and put some money in.”
        .Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2010

    7. Profile Photo

      Icthyes (@icthyes)
      1st November 2010, 20:30

      Am I the only one who doesn’t want a wet weekend?

      Japan was just delayed, there was less set-up time but that’s pretty much it. Korea had dry qualifying and though it was wet all the time it was expected and planned for. If it rains, I want it to be in qualifying like last year, or just before and/or during the race like two years ago.

      1. John M
        1st November 2010, 21:03

        I never mind seeing rain…at any point during the weekend, but particularly during the race. In my opinion, it separates the men from the boys. It helps neutralize the technological advantages and emphasizes driver skill. I’d rather not see another Korea, with cars queuing up behind the safety car, but I would not mind seeing rain during the race.

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        George (@george)
        1st November 2010, 21:07

        If it doesn’t rain Webber should finish ahead of Alonso and therefore the championship goes to Abu Dhabi, that’s what I hope happens at least.

      3. Patrickl
        2nd November 2010, 11:26

        I’m not a big fan of wet races either. Once in a while a bit of a lottery can be fun, but it’s not really something I enjoy.

        On the other hand, once in a while there is a spectacular drive in the wet and that’s something we always remember. Like Donnington 93 and Silverstone 2008.

    8. Chris Johnson
      1st November 2010, 23:36

      I like Barichello, but I’m hoping Force India manages to hold off Williams and knock them one step closer to the bottom.

    9. Bruno
      2nd November 2010, 1:03

      Rubens drive ends next season…

    10. Profile Photo

      wasiF1 (@wasif1)
      2nd November 2010, 1:15

      I believe that they can beat them.

    11. Profile Photo

      damonsmedley (@damonsmedley)
      2nd November 2010, 7:34

      I’d be very surprised if they didn’t beat Force India. Rubens consistently qualifies in the top ten and picks up points. In fact, I am surprised they aren’t beating Force India by a considerable margin.

      1. CarsVsChildren
        2nd November 2010, 9:19

        I think the fact they aren’t is one of the reasons there is debate about Hulkenburg’s position in the team.

    12. King Six
      2nd November 2010, 12:39

      People are underestimating how good the Force India was at the beginning of the season, it was regularly making Q3 and if it was Fisichella in there with Sutil they’d easily be clear of Williams.

      Fisi was faster than Sutil more often than not when they were together, so they’d be a hell of a lot better if he stayed on.

      1. Skett
        2nd November 2010, 18:40

        Definitely. I seem to remember at the start of the year Rubens making quite a few comments that the car had some theoretically excellent areas, but other parts of the car weren’t good enough to match up so it was out of balance all the time. They weren’t esp competitive at the start of the year.
        Contrary to popular belief it wasn’t just Nico driving badly!

    13. roadie
      2nd November 2010, 13:35

      Forget the championship battle, this is the one that I am focusing on. Am really hoping to see Williams claim 6th by the end of the season.

    14. mfDB
      2nd November 2010, 18:09

      Go Williams!!!! I think they can do it….FI seems to be struggling lately and Nico has been more consistent towards the end of the season.

    Comments are closed.