Saturday: Williams gets the most out of its FW31

The free practice 3 sessions are very different from the free practice 2 sessions for the Williams team. After achieving a double yesterday afternoon, the morning session was very difficult with only 12th and 18th places for the drivers. Fortunately, the team made a comeback this afternoon. Nico Rosberg secured a spot in Q3 and achieved a very nice 7th place.

Kazuki Nakajima, for his part, finishes in 11th place but will have the choice of fuel strategy. Like all the other teams, Williams considers tire choice a priority. Points are therefore likely for both drivers in the race tomorrow.

Nico Rosberg – 12th and 9th:

« I must say that I am very happy with today’s result because this morning’s tests were bad. In qualifying, we struggled to get the best out of the tires. They were perfect on the first lap, but less so on the second lap. I managed to hook up a lap in Q2 that placed me 7th. We did the best we could and can be happy with this fifth row. We have a solid strategy, so good chances for the race tomorrow. »

Kazuki Nakajima – 18th and 11th:

« My effort is a bit disappointing. I felt good throughout the session, but then I lost time towards the end of my fast lap. I need to look at my data and see why I was losing time. I think we can still have a good race. Points will definitely be a goal for me tomorrow. »

Patrick Head – Director of Engineering:

« We had a difficult morning with the practice runs, mainly caused by traffic issues, but we also struggled with the tires. In qualifying, Nico [Rosberg] guaranteed his place in the top 10 by making it into Q3. He is ninth. Unfortunately, Kazuki [Nakajima] missed Q3 but is 11th, a good starting position. Because we used up all our new tires, we decided to take a more conservative direction for the race strategy. »