The Williams FW32 isn’t quite quick enough to match the pace of the the top two, Ferrari and Red Bull according to Nico Hulkenberg, however it does have the pace to match the second group consisting of McLaren, Mercedes and Renault.
Hulkenberg admitted matching the pace of the frontrunners isn’t possible yet: “It’s difficult. I think not quite, but we are not so far away.
“I think Ferrari and Red Bull are just a little bit faster everywhere. Then there is a drop down, with teams like us, McLaren, Mercedes, Renault, but it is so difficult to read.” He added.
“We did some high and low fuel runs to give me the feeling of how the balance shifts with the car, but I don’t want to be thinking about where we would be compared to everyone else on fuel. I just concentrate on myself.”
Williams, who are running Cosworth engines this season have shown potential in the tests. Hulkenberg managed the second quickest time of the day in Barcelona yesterday, a 1:22.407, although that was still nine tenths behind Mark Webber’s best.
“We have a good baseline with this car and the engine, and there is good potential in it,” he said. “We just need to understand how to get everything out of it.”
