Williams won’t be running today for safety reasons
Lance Stroll's three run-offs have left their mark on the chassis of his FW40, and the team has decided not to run on this fourth and final day of testing for safety reasons.
Lance Stroll did not have a completely smooth first practice session. Indeed, his first day ended by lunchtime due to an off-track excursion that damaged his front wing, as the team did not have spare parts available at the circuit.
For his return to the track yesterday, the errors accumulated, with three off-track excursions. The FW40 did not come out unscathed, as the team revealed this morning: « After a thorough inspection overnight, we discovered damage to the chassis of the FW40. For safety reasons, the team has decided not to run today. »
The Williams mechanics will have five days ahead of them to prepare an entirely new chassis and resume testing next week. The 103 laps accumulated by Felipe Massa during the first day of testing will therefore be valuable in helping the engineers develop their car.
This lost day is all the more detrimental as it is the only scheduled day with a wet track, allowing Pirelli to examine its wet and intermediate tires in real conditions.
