Williams - dark horse and on the rise? [Archive]

christophulus

5th April 2009, 13:09

I hope so. Strong pace in practice but so-so race pace and decisions. They could sneak a win this year but it'll only come with a lot of good luck.

Glad to see they might finally be on the way back up. Having enough pace to re-sign Rosberg for net year and we may get somewhere :)

Ranger

5th April 2009, 13:11

Rosberg was good today. :up:

UltimateDanGTR

5th April 2009, 13:17

Rosberg could have won if it stayed dry. I am a big Williams an Rosberg fan and was pleased to see him show his true potential, its a shame the race didnt end like that for him. He should've done better if it wasnt for tyres.

But Rosberg and Williams on the rise. Brawn and Toyota need to watch out.

52Paddy

5th April 2009, 15:44

Yes, I believe Williams will be on the move this year. Rosberg is coming good now, he's been driving solidly at many points during what has been of this season. I have full belief that he could have won today had circumstances been less extreme. Although I'm delighted that Button, Heidfeld and Glock all got their piece on the podium, I felt gutted that Rosberg walked away with minimal points, after such a great effort he put in.

UltimateDanGTR

5th April 2009, 16:35

I think Rosberg is the sort of guy thats done a quite yet solid and good job for 3 years now and in a compeititive car he can do really well. hopefully this year the williams is competitive enough for him to shine, It looks so at the moment. Hopefully this year it will be Brawn vs Toyota vs Red Bull vs Williams and it looks good for that.

jens

5th April 2009, 17:36

Fantastic performance by Williams. :up: It was quite incredible to see Rosberg leading a Grand Prix on merit, I would have hardly believed in such scenario before the season. Makes predicting the future quite difficult. :D And after all, Nico might reconsider his threat to leave Williams, although I still doubt Williams in current state (without manufacturer backing) would really be capable of becoming a genuine title contender. Shame that Nakajima was literally invisible for the whole race - in a car as quick as FW31 surely he should impress more?

ioan

5th April 2009, 17:42

You lot are getting your hopes way too high and the fall will be a painful one.

Dave B

5th April 2009, 17:53

Williams certainly are a dark horse for an opportunistic race win this year, but of the DDD teams they're definately the weakest for race pace from what we've seen so far.

Rosberg's phenomenal performances in 5 of the 6 free practice sessions have flattered to deceive somewhat, but his stunning wet-weather drive in Malaysia was very good indeed.

I've always had a soft spot for Williams, and if pressed to name a team (as distinct from a driver) I support then I really hope they do well; but I think it's a big big stretch to get back to the form they displayed in the mid 90s.

52Paddy

5th April 2009, 18:11

You lot are getting your hopes way too high and the fall will be a painful one.

Why do you say that?

Dave B

5th April 2009, 18:13

Why do you say that?
Because he has experience of seeing a team he loves go down the toilet.

jens

5th April 2009, 18:15

Depends, what kind of hopes are too high regarding Williams in 2009. Surely a title challenge can't be expected, but a few podiums can be a possibility.

52Paddy

5th April 2009, 18:36

Because he has experience of seeing a team he loves go down the toilet.

Which makes sense in regard to the 'painful fall.' But just wondering what he sees lacking in Williams 2009 performance so far. And why he seems to reckon their form will diminish. I, like Jens, don't expect them to challenge for the title. But they look more on form this year than they have in a long time. I don't see how expectations of podiums and maybe a win in the right circumstances is too far-fetched.

Maybe "you lot" refers to "a lot of you."

ioan

5th April 2009, 18:42

Why do you say that?

I'm just being realistic, taking into account Williams' recent development pace during the season, their microscopic budget when compared even with Brawn, and the fact that Rosberg only managed to qualify 6th, before Rubens and Sebastian were added their penalties, with a lighter car than the Toyota and the Brawn GP.

ioan

5th April 2009, 18:43

Because he has experience of seeing a team he loves go down the toilet.

This is right too. I try hard to keep my expectations as low as possible and usually it helps when the team isn't the best out there.

UltimateDanGTR

5th April 2009, 18:51

gloomyDAY

5th April 2009, 19:13

He should, I dont think Nakajima is good enough for Williams if im honest. he nhasnt impressed me very much over the time hes been in F1. I think he should (and may if he doesnt improve) be replaced by Bruno Senna before the years out.Toyota wouldn't approve of that decision. Nakajima isn't going anywhere!

Sonic

5th April 2009, 20:45

Toyota wouldn't approve of that decision. Nakajima isn't going anywhere!

FACT!

As for the rest of the thread; I'm so pleased to see Williams at the front again.

In response to Ioan - it might be short lived (I hope not though) but I'm gonna enjoy it whilst it lasts.

ChrisS

7th April 2009, 09:02

Williams seems to be there or there abouts at the start for the past few seasons now but they always fall behind soon afterwards.

I'm hopping that because of the new rules the big teams won't be able to so easily "buy" their way out of trouble and Williams will remain near the front a little longer but I think as it has been the case in resent times Williams will shift its focus on next season's car by mid season and the 2009 car will fall behind.

wmcot

7th April 2009, 09:12

You lot are getting your hopes way too high and the fall will be a painful one.

And the summer looks questionable, too! ;)

ArrowsFA1

7th April 2009, 09:17

It was great to see a Williams leading the pack again, and they're certainly competitive, but I'm holding my breath to see if they can maintain this form, and even improve their position, throughout the season.

jens

20th April 2009, 13:25

After the last race I have to say that the tone is already more pessimistic regarding Williams... They have got their 2006-syndrome back - quick car, but unable to really transform the potential into points. Different reasons this time - consistency over the race as opposed to (un)reliability in 2006.

Another alarming factor is that the big factory teams are inevitably improving and have shown first signs of it. It looks like not much more than P8-P9 can be expected from Williams in WCC this year...

Ranger

20th April 2009, 13:49

Toyota wouldn't approve of that decision. Nakajima isn't going anywhere!

In which case Williams should toss their engine deal. That guy is nothing more than a liability.

Not sure who would supply them though, I'm assuming it wouldn't be BMW...

ShiftingGears

20th April 2009, 14:31

Rosberg's career is going nowhere so long as he's at Williams.

F1boat

20th April 2009, 17:11

Rosberg's career is going nowhere so long as he's at Williams.

Yes and I am very unhappy about this. I hoped that with the DD Williams will be competitive, but nah - failure. Again.

gloomyDAY

26th April 2009, 15:57

Get rid of Nakajima!

ArrowsFA1

26th April 2009, 16:04

Very disappointing. Williams seem to have a quick car and yet they can't convert that speed into decent points. I'm hoping that a return to Europe sees an improvement :(

UltimateDanGTR

26th April 2009, 16:42

its starting to seem less dark horse on the rise, more dark horse on the fade.....

52Paddy

26th April 2009, 16:48

its starting to seem less dark horse on the rise, more dark horse on the fade.....

Or maybe just a horse...

DexDexter

26th April 2009, 16:55

Very disappointing. Williams seem to have a quick car and yet they can't convert that speed into decent points. I'm hoping that a return to Europe sees an improvement :(

It's like in previous years, they seem to have a fast car early on then they fade away. It's going to happen this year as well.

F1boat

26th April 2009, 17:04

Yes and they failed to win good points... Monaco last chance for something decent IMO.

christophulus

26th April 2009, 17:06

It could be worse, they're solidly in the midfield, ahead of BMW, STR, Force India and a match for Renault/Ferrari on the day.

I am getting annoyed with the lack of points though, Nakajima needs to get a move on and the strategy clearly isn't a strong point. If they get their KERS up and running I'd hope to see an improvement, especially seems how it's not battery based.

aryan

26th April 2009, 17:27

Very disappointing. Williams seem to have a quick car and yet they can't convert that speed into decent points. I'm hoping that a return to Europe sees an improvement :(

Well, I see things differently. It's the team's job to make a fast car. It's the driver's job to race competitively. I think the second one is lacking in Williams.

Their second driver is a pay driver, and their star driver at best is in the same category as DC and Rubens. Only thing is, he'd be lucky if he retires with half their number of wins.

Garry Walker

26th April 2009, 17:39

williams looks fast in FP sessions, because they simply run with less fuel than others.

F1boat

26th April 2009, 18:10

williams looks fast in FP sessions, because they simply run with less fuel than others.

I think that this is the truth, unfortunately...

jens

26th April 2009, 20:03

Williams can't get even into the points on merit, so they seem pretty much doomed. Have to mention again that it's difficult to imagine them higher than P8-P9 in WCC this year.

I think that Williams may shine on circuits like Monaco and Montreal as they have traditionally been quick on tracks, which put extra emphasis on mechanical grip. But besides that, don't expect much elsewhere, to be honest.

Sonic

26th April 2009, 21:04

:(

That about sums up how I feel about Williams form this year. I really hope they can turn it around but I fear they have wasted their best chance at big points/podiums already.

Does anyone think that with a car that appears to have such a narrow setup window Nico could really do with a more experienced team mate to share data with?