News On F1 - Formula 1 News, Results, Information and Statistics

F1 News  F1 Schedule  F1 Line-up  Teams  Drivers  F1 Tickets  F1 Coverage
 

F1 News - Surprise favourites ramp up pressure on drivers - May, 2012

May 31 (GMM) Within memory of him delivering the beleaguered team's first victory for more than seven years, Williams has expressed disappointment in Pastor Maldonado.

After soaring from pole to victory in Barcelona, breakthrough winner Maldonado suffered an horror Monaco grand prix two weeks later.

The Venezuelan was pushed ten places down the grid for apparently colliding deliberately with Sergio Perez in practice, and at the start of the race got caught up in the first lap chaos.

"The car was good enough for a P4 or P5 qualifying position and our race pace was also good so it is disappointing not to have come away from this event with a decent haul of points," said Williams' chief engineer Mark Gillan.

When asked about Maldonado's crash with Perez, he insisted: "I think that the incident was avoidable and therefore disappointing and that the penalty was therefore understandable."

And even in light of Maldonado's Barcelona triumph, the Oxfordshire based team's disappointment is also understandable, given the competitiveness of the Renault-powered FW34.

German magazine Auto Motor und Sport cited "GPS" evidence in claiming that the Williams and the Sauber are the best cars in the 2012 field when it comes to aerodynamics, based on data from Barcelona's demanding turns 3 and 9.

And at Monaco, Sauber's Perez recorded not only the fastest lap of the race, but "for long periods he was the fastest driver on the track".

"This clearly shows what we can achieve if everything goes right for us," said the Swiss team's boss. "Now it is up to the entire team to turn our opportunities into success."

Journalist Michael Schmidt said: "With Fernando Alonso, Sebastian Vettel or Lewis Hamilton in the cockpit, Williams or Sauber would probably be leading the championship."

The pressure is high, therefore, on the surprise favourites' drivers.

"The team (Williams) are looking forward to Montreal as we believe that we should be strong again, but we need to deliver in both qualifying and the race," Gillan insisted.

Latest F1 News - Mobile version
26 Feb: New Ferrari not quickest in field - Domenicali
26 Feb: Red Bull still best in 2013 - Tost
26 Feb: 2014 French grand prix 'possible' - Prost
26 Feb: Danica Patrick 'not interested' in F1 switch
26 Feb: Report - Gilles Simon working on F1 engine for Honda
26 Feb: Gutierrez plays down link to Carlos Slim
26 Feb: Caterham exhaust 'legal' insists van der Garde
26 Feb: McLaren replaces Mercedes-bound Lowe
25 Feb: 'Engine maps' trouble for Red Bull, Lotus - report
25 Feb: Mercedes-bound Lowe to miss 2013 opener - report
25 Feb: Mercedes 'in group of teams' behind Red Bull - Lauda
25 Feb: Gutierrez expects Hulkenberg to beat him early in 2013
25 Feb: New Ferrari 'much better' than 2012 - Massa
25 Feb: Teams 'will adapt' to new tyre situation - Gutierrez
25 Feb: Tight rules make today's F1 cars 'the same' - Forghieri
25 Feb: Williams removes controversial exhaust trick
25 Feb: Contract 'conflicts' cause of Marussia test snub - Razia
25 Feb: Lotus to fight Red Bull for title - Gutierrez
25 Feb: Marussia 'ahead of Caterham' - Chilton
25 Feb: Sutil will not stay in F1 as test driver

The latest F1 News - Mobile Version

F1 News  F1 Schedule  F1 Line-up  Constructors' Championship  Drivers' Championship  F1 Tickets  Live F1 Coverage

Full Version: Formula 1 News  Formula 1 Schedule  Formula 1 Line-up  Constructors' Championship  Drivers' Championship  Live F1 Coverage  10 'n' Pole  F1 Regulations  The Forums  Motorsport Shop  F1 Merchandise  F1 Tickets  F1 Diecast  F1 Videos  F1 Games

Back To Top