F1 Mid-Season Review: Williams - Loyally independent

Williams saw a massive boost in performance in 2014, and this year has been a continuation of that. However this year they have Ferrari to contend with, which has pushed Williams back to a top 6 regular, rather than the podium regulars they were last year.

But, contradictory to what you might expect, this has helped Williams, as Mercedes have handed a few extra engine upgrades to the team in order to fend off the resurgence of the Italian team.

Despite Williams’ position as a Mercedes customer team, they have not been afraid to run themselves ahead of the Silver Arrows. At the British Grand Prix, they wowed the fans by leading 1-2 and remaining in the podium positions until the arrival of the rain, which highlighted the FW37’s weak point – downforce.

Their design philosophy last year was to create a slippery car that was brilliantly quick in a straight line, giving the team more options with downforce. The idea saw much success, finishing 8 races on the podium. This year has been a different story. The extra, closer competition has meant that Williams have fallen back, and must alter their design concept if they are to continue their 2014 highs.

With Ferrari now looking as though they can challenge Mercedes, it is unlikely we will see a scenario where Williams are leading Mercedes for very long. A quick word on the pit wall will ensure that Mercedes score every point available, but further upgrades should be on their way to the Williams camp so they can continue to give Ferrari a hard time.

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