Williams is hoping some upgrades to its diffuser at the European Grand Prix this weekend will give it the necessary boost in performance to secure its first double points finish of the season.
Rubens Barrichello has scored points at the last two rounds signalling an improvement in the car's performance, but Pastor Maldonado has missed out after crashing out of both races. The Williams FW33 has been more competitive on softer tyre compounds this year, and technical director Sam Michael is hoping the combination of the super-soft and medium tyres as well as the car's upgrades will see both his drivers score points in Valencia.
"Typically the grip level is low at Valencia as it's a street circuit that takes some time to rubber up," Michael said. "The Pirelli tyres performed exceptionally in Monaco though, so we don't expect anything less here. Setup is geared for slow speed corner grip, but there is also a fantastic high speed section through sector three. We have some further upgrades to our diffuser and our target is to be in the points with both our cars."
Barrichello is a fan of the circuit and is hoping for another good result.
"Valencia is very important to me. It was there that I won my first race in 2009 and it was also the 100th GP win for Brazil, so it was very special," he said. "It is a very long circuit with lots of corners so you need the car set-up for good traction. I love this race track. The final part of the circuit has some high speed corners which makes the circuit feel very complete."
Maldonado also has a good track record in Valencia.
"I first raced on the Valencia Street Circuit in 2008 in a Dodge Viper Coupé GT3 and finished second," the Venezuelan added. "I entered the European GT race as I wanted to learn the track ahead of the GP2 event that year, which I also went on to finish second in, before winning there in 2010. The track is very similar to Montréal with long straights, slow corners and walls very close to the track. My favourite part is in the final section, when you brake into the last corner just before the pit entry. The weather in that part of Spain is fantastic and I guess the place will be full of Venezuelan fans so that will make it a great weekend for me."
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