Valterri Bottas has declared the FW35 a definite step forward over the outfit’s 2012 car which won the Spanish Grand Prix.
The Finnish driver got his first taste of the new car on Wednesday after Williams chose to use the FW34 in Jerez in order to gain tyre data.
Whilst it’s early days, Bottas was confident in his assessment.
“I had a really strong first impression of the FW35 today,” he said. “Once we completed the aero work this morning I was able to complete my first proper run to feel the FW35 and the improvements we have made.
“Straight out of the box I knew we had made a step forward from last year, and I am looking forward to working to develop the car even further.
“It’s great to know we have a really good base to start from but there are still a number of areas we can improve, so I’m really excited for the season ahead.”
Technical director Mike Coughlan also sounded confident: “It was a trouble-free day for us with Valtteri completing close to 100 laps, so we are pleased with the reliability of the FW35.
“Valtteri confirmed the potential of the car posting some competitive times throughout the day. After initially concentrating on aero testing, our focus then switched to set-up work and the tyres this afternoon.
“We are pleased with the progress we are making as a team and we have a good direction to continuing developing the car ahead of the season.”
Discussion about this post