Williams technical chief Paddy Lowe insists the team isn't yet writing off its 2018 Formula 1 season, despite its current predicament.
Williams, fifth in the standings across 2016/17, sits at the foot of the 10-team Constructors' Championship, having taken just four points, courtesy of Lance Stroll's eighth in Azerbaijan.
The team has struggled to get on top of its FW41, which follows a new aerodynamic philosophy, having ceded its advantage along the straights without profiting from the anticipated corner gains.
Lowe admitted the team knew the car was flawed when it first hit the track during pre-season testing in February, and is still striving to salvage its 2018 season.
"From the minute this car ran it was clear there was some issues we had to deal with." said Lowe during the Spanish Grand Prix weekend.
"We haven’t yet brought anything [to the car] that solves those issues so we shouldn’t expect it to be any better. But we will do in due course."
Lowe says the design team now have an understanding of what it believes the problem to be and is working on correcting it – and therefore remains optimistic of recovering lost ground later in the year.
"There are issues which we understand – we think – we can never guarantee anything in this business," he added.
"The good news about that is that as you uncover issues and are able to solve them it gives you greater hope for the future. That’s within this year, not writing off this season.
"We've put in place a programme, which we call a recovery programme, to bring the car to the level that we intended [at the start of the season]."
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