2017 Overview – Williams: A Year of Stagnation

5th in the championship: 83 points

Best qualification: 4th

Best race result: 3rd 

2017 was a year of stagnation for Williams. The team finished 5th in the constructors’ standings with a total of 83 points, behind Force India. Only one podium was achieved, a 3rd place by Lance Stroll in Azerbaijan under particular circumstances with several race incidents. Nevertheless, rookie driver Stroll was able to take advantage of the various opportunities available to him.

However, there was greater expectation from the British team, which has plateaued and stagnated during the last two-thirds of the season, except for a few good performances in qualifying and races in Belgium and Italy. Like in 2016, Williams finished in 5th place in the constructors’ standings, quite far behind Force India, with a 104-point deficit, a team also powered by the Mercedes power unit. For comparison, in 2016, Williams finished 35 points behind Force India. That’s why we must speak of stagnation and even regression in the case of Williams in 2017.

Editor’s Note: 12.5/20

Felipe Massa:

11th in the championship: 43 points

Best qualification: 6th

Best race result: 6th

The Brazilian veteran who came as a backup following Nico Rosberg’s unexpected retirement at the end of 2016 still had a decent season under the circumstances, finishing 11th in the drivers’ standings with 43 points, tied with Nico Hülkenberg in 10th place. He was consistent this season given the capabilities of his car, often finishing his races in the midfield among teams, typically between 9th and 11th positions at the finish line.

Unlike Stroll, he hasn’t made it to the podium this season. However, he started the 2017 season well by securing two 6th place finishes in two of the first three races on the calendar, in Australia and Bahrain. He performed well at his last home Grand Prix in Brazil, finishing 7th. In qualifying, he achieved two 6th place positions in China and Russia in the first third of the season.

He will have nonetheless dominated his teammate 17 times out of 19 because at the Hungarian Grand Prix, he had to withdraw due to dizziness. He was then replaced by the Scotsman Paul di Resta. Massa ends his Formula 1 career with a final single point, in Abu Dhabi.

Editor’s note: 13/20

Lance Stroll.

12th in the championship: 40 points

Best qualification: 4th

Best race result: 3rd

The first year of Canadian driver Lance Stroll has been interesting. Despite a difficult first third of the season with no points in the first six races, including three retirements in the first three events of the calendar in Australia, China, and Bahrain, he made a mark with a good performance in Montreal at the Canadian Grand Prix, scoring his first F1 points with a 9th place finish. He executed several notable overtakes on the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.

The highlight of his 2017 season was undoubtedly his first career podium, a 3rd place, almost a 2nd position, then outpaced by Bottas and his Mercedes in the last meters before the finish line at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Throughout the twenty races he contested that season, he found himself in the points seven times: 9th in Canada, 3rd in Azerbaijan, 10th in Austria, 7th in Italy, 8th in Singapore and Malaysia, and 6th in Mexico.

Furthermore, in qualifying at Monza for the Italian Grand Prix, he qualified 4th in the rain, an impressive performance for a rookie. With the various penalties imposed on the two Red Bull drivers, Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo, he found himself on the front row alongside Lewis Hamilton. He then became the youngest driver in F1 history to achieve this feat.

All in all, during the 2017 season, we witnessed a progression from Stroll starting from the second third of the season, particularly in comparison to his teammate Felipe Massa, so much so that he accumulated more points than the Brazilian in the second half of the season. Ultimately, Stroll finished 12th in the driver standings with 40 points, just 3 points behind his teammate. Furthermore, he was only 3 points away from the Top 10 drivers, a position held by Nico Hülkenberg. Not bad at all for the Quebecois as an introduction.

During the season, he was able to manage his races well and partially avoid collisions. However, one aspect to improve for the next season is his performance in qualifying, particularly being able to execute a fast first lap. He needs to improve on this specific aspect of his driving. In qualifying, during the first third of the season, he found himself several times half a second behind Massa, but this gap was reduced in the second half of the season, to the point where he qualified ahead of his teammate twice in Azerbaijan and Italy.

However, Massa still outqualified him 17 times. Another valid point of comparison to analyze the Quebecer’s first season is to compare his performances with another rookie driver, Esteban Ocon of Force India. Stroll finished behind Ocon, who reached 8th place in the drivers’ standings with 87 championship points. However, in Stroll’s defense, the Force India was more competitive than the Williams this season, even though both teams were powered by Mercedes.

Editor’s Note: 12/20