Sam Michael hopeful of a strong show before leaving Williams: Formula One news
Williams’ technical director, Sam Michael, is confident about turning things around before he leaves the team at the end of the 2011 Formula One season. The Grove based outfit has been unable to make an impression in the opening three races of the ongoing
season, as drivers Rubens Barrichello and Pastor Maldonado have not scored a single point yet.
Talking to reporters, Michael said, “I don't think the team is far away from being respectable with the car, to exploit the areas of design that we really innovated on like our transmission. It will only take some small steps to make the FW33 competitive.”
The outgoing technical director added, “We have a raft of upgrades to the car over the next three or four races. We are far from short of ideas or new concepts, and recent progress in development is strong - that's what gives me the confidence that if we
can get it to the track quickly then we'll be competitive.”
Michael further revealed that he had been offered a new role with the team after the 2011 season, but declined the job. He said that he was involved in the development of the car for the next two seasons, but would now shift his work to new personnel.
The CEO of Williams, Adam Parr, also considered resigning from his job after a dismal start to the current season. However, he was asked to continue his role with the team by team boss, Frank Williams.
Parr expressed his disappointment over the resignation of Michael from the team. Both have worked together for a very long time and are very close friends.
Williams enjoyed a decent season in 2010, as they finished sixth overall in the constructor’s championship. They had a bad start last year as well, but managed to put things together in the mid-season races. The team caught up with the likes of Renault and
Mercedes and ended the season with a positive feeling.
The winter testing was also promising for the team and they had high hopes going into the 2011 campaign. However, things have gone totally against the expectations of Williams and the team requires a big boost in the upcoming races.
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