George Russell has emphasised that Williams will be in a position to fight in Formula 1’s midfield again in 2020, outlining that it expects to make a big step in the wake of its difficult 2019 campaign.
Williams has slipped down Formula 1’s pecking order through the hybrid era and in 2018 slumped to the rear of the 10-team Constructors’ Championship.
In 2019 it finished last again but was further off the pace, scoring just one point – courtesy of Robert Kubica in Germany – and failed to make it through Q1 all year.
But Russell is confident that off-track changes undertaken across the past year will pay dividends when the FW43 is put through its paces in 2020.
“I’d say success [next year] would be fighting in the midfield,” Russell told MotorsportWeek.com.
“Realistically that’s the most we could hope for.
“We’re definitely going to make a big step for next year but we obviously don’t know how much everyone else is going to improve.
“I do definitely believe we’re going to be in the fight next year. It definitely won’t be like it was four or five years ago for the team, but we’ll definitely be in a position that we know every weekend we’ve got a chance of Q2.”
Williams has gradually regressed through Formula 1’s hybrid era, falling from a high of third, which it achieved across 2014 and 2015.
There are only minor changes to next year's Formula 1 regulations but Russell highlighted that the 2020 car will be the first produced since Williams implemented alterations to its structure.
“Well everything for this year was done with a purpose,” Russell said.
“The team, with the car, was definitely declining from 2014 all the way to 2018.
"They understood why: there wasn’t a huge amount of correlation between the track and the wind tunnel and obviously Formula 1 is 95 per cent aero, and when your main aero tool is not working as it should then that’s not ideal.
“I’ve seen all the work we’ve done over the winter [in 2018/19], all these rakes we’ve been running [during 2019], the team has probably got the most sophisticated rakes in the paddock.
“I’ve seen firstly the correlation, and also the trend of improvements we’re seeing in the wind tunnel.
“Having made this big philosophy change over the latter end of last year the team took a massive hit in downforce to rebuild all the foundations.
“It trickled along at that point for some time while they were still rebuilding the foundations, but definitely there’s been some big gains since.”
An in-depth feature with George Russell will be available on Motorsport Week on Sunday.
