2017 Williams Martini Racing Team - Mercedes

[LookBackTime]

Credit where credit is due, Stroll drove a good race.

Bit hesitant passing, got scared off a couple of times by relatively simple defensive maneuvers, but pace was good, kept the car clean, got his overtakes done and picked up a couple of points as reward.

Still not sure he's exactly going to set the world on fire, but if Lance can keep improving and start turning in regular points this could work for Williams.

During the race I made the same observations!

Lance mentioned (on Sky F1 interview) one important thing: no flat tires into this race.
For me looks like Williams made a lot of improvements to the brakes (of the car) in order to help him.

[LookBackTime]

CANADIAN GRAND PRIX
11 JUN 2017

Circuit Gilles Villeneuve
4.361 km / 2.71 miles

Race Notes:

- Lance Stroll finished ninth to claim his first ever Formula One points in front of his home crowd at today’s Canadian Grand Prix

- Felipe’s race unfortunately ended at Turn 3 on lap one, after Sainz collided with Grosjean and collected Felipe as he crashed out

- Lance had a great start, moving up to 15th from 17th during the opening lap. Following an early safety car and a virtual safety car period, Lance ran as high as P9, after passing Vandoorne at the Turn 10 hairpin on lap 15

- Lance made his first and only pitstop of the race on lap 27 for a set of supersoft tyres. He rejoined the race in P17 but quickly started to gain positions on fresh tyres

- Lance made some great overtaking manoeuvres to pass Wehrlein, Ericsson, Palmer, Grosjean, Vandoorne and Alonso on his way to P10; before moving up to P9 as a result of Kvyat’s retirement to claim his maiden Formula One points.

- Felipe is now 10th in the Drivers’ Championship, while Lance moves up to 16th. The team retains sixth in the Constructors’ Championship with 22 points

Paddy Lowe, Chief Technical Officer: A huge congratulations to Lance. He’s the first Canadian in Formula One since Jacques Villeneuve, and now he’s scored his first points at his home race. It’s a great story. Given the difficult start Lance has had to his Formula One career, this feels like a race win to us. It was an incredible drive. He showed some fantastic race-craft, great overtaking and he really earned those points today. From 17th on the grid up to ninth, including a battle with a double world champion, which he took in his stride. I think today’s result will boost his confidence going forward and will give him some real momentum. On the other side of the garage, Felipe had an unfortunate race. He actually had a good start, but then lost a few places as a result of the jostling that normally takes place at Turns 1 and 2 at this race. He was then collected by Carlos, through no fault of his own. With the pace of the car this weekend it’s very unfortunate. We could have scored some very good points. We’re now looking ahead to Azerbaijan. The car should be reasonably strong there so we’ll give it another go.

Lance Stroll: I am just happy for myself, for the team, for everyone. The balance of the car was good all race. I was in a flow. I knew we had good straight line speed in the Williams. I chose my overtakes at the right times, sometimes I could have done them a lap earlier, but it was a bit risky so I did it a lap later and stayed patient. James, my engineer, was giving me good communications throughout the whole race about what was happening around us. We just stayed cool headed and took it to the end and P9. It was about things falling into place and getting everything to work with no issues and being able to do the pace we know how to do. It means the world to me being able to finish a race in the points and be able to see those Canadian flags up in the air at my race.

Felipe Massa: I’m so disappointed to be out after just three corners. I was a complete passenger in the collision. I think Carlos was hit by somebody, but I was the only car that he hit. It’s a shame to finish the race like that, especially when the car has been so competitive all weekend and we could have scored a good amount of points

[LookBackTime]

Stroll ‘worst F1 rookie ever’ – Villeneuve ramped up criticism

http://www.thisisf1.com/2017/06/12/stro ... sF1.com%29

Jacques Villeneuve has ramped up his criticism of countryman Lance Stroll, following a difficult opening third of the 18-year-old Canadian’s rookie F1 season.

Before the season, 1997 world champion Villeneuve actually defended Stroll, saying he deserved his Williams seat despite the millions in funding provided by his billionaire father Lawrence.

Stroll then finally broke through for his first points of the season in front of his home crowd in Montreal.

“I always had confidence,” he told Le Journal de Montreal afterwards.

“I also know there will be nothing easy about the next races. There’s a lot of room for improvement and we’re working hard for more good results,” Stroll added.

But Stroll had actually qualified ten places behind his teammate Felipe Massa in Canada, and Villeneuve said that was enough evidence that Stroll’s struggles are beyond the pale.

“He is more than a second slower than Felipe,” he told the Austrian broadcaster ORF.

“Results speak for themselves. It is one of the worst rookie performances in the history of formula one,” Villeneuve charged.

Stroll is aware of the criticism coming from observers like Villeneuve, but he said in Montreal: “I don’t care what people think.

“I’m happy for me and the team. The rest is noise. People who do not like me will always find excuses.”

[LookBackTime]

Stroll "win" made Lowe head towards the podium
By: Jonathan Noble, Formula 1 Editor

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/f1-s ... ms-917709/

Williams technical chief Paddy Lowe has revealed that Lance Stroll's first points of the season felt so much like a win to him that he mistakenly started heading to the podium after the race.

Stroll recovered from another difficult qualifying performance – having got knocked out in Q1 to line up 17th in Canada – to deliver a mature charge through the field to finish ninth.

And on the back of early season frustrations, and mounting criticisms about whether he should have been signed by Williams, Lowe said the importance of the result should not be underestimated.

"You couldn't overstate it, to be honest, on so many different levels," said Lowe, when asked by Motorsport.com about Stroll's performance.

"The way he drove today and the result he got, it feels like a race win.

"Actually coming off the pit wall, with the instinct of how I felt, I started heading towards the podium!

"It was only ninth, but it seriously felt like a race win because we know it has been a very, very difficult introduction to the sport for him."

Stroll's ongoing struggles earlier in the weekend had prompted some intense talks between Lowe and the Canadian driver's father Lawrence in Williams offices on Saturday evening.

But, although accepting things on track had not gone to plan, Lowe said the team had always remained convinced that Stroll had talent that was not being untapped by the nature of the 2017 cars and tyres.

"We have all felt for him especially in the team, willing him to get better and to make the progress," added Lowe.

"I think he went out there today and showed that he could drive. The talent was all there, the race craft was fantastic. Those points didn't fall in his lap, he went and fought for them.

"He handled some pretty tricky situations, like the traffic in Turn 1. There was lots of stuff that could have easily been mishandled.

"The benefits are immeasurable – he is going to have himself so much more confidence that he now knows what it takes.

"You know they say in this sport that when you win your first race, all the rest of them are so much easier. I am sure it is the same with points. I hope we will see that. He is out of the starting blocks and we will see that in play now."

[LookBackTime]

[Valerio1987]

Giorgio Piola speak about the intentions of Paddy Lowe , that want equip the FW40 with a new entire carbon transmission plus a completely new rear suspension... I see in Lowe a very intentions of regain Speed with Williams.

Hope he Can do it.

[LookBackTime]

https://twitter.com/F1/status/874560642560139264

[FrukostScones]

The rumors Start... THX Wazari for expecting the. Dreams.

http://forums.autosport.com/topic/20648 ... try7992185

[ME4ME]

Makes sense, altought it would be a bold move. It will probably hurt performance wise in the short term, but in the medium to long term it could pay off.

[Sevach]

It's risky as hell...

When do the next set of engine rules kick in? I think i need to factor this in before saying anything.

[Valerio1987]

For now a switch to Honda is a premature move and a choice full of risks.

-PU is down on power
-PU haven't reliability
-Honda is still far to have a clear develompment direction for solve the problem
-Honda is very slow on bring new solution after 3 season of presence

What is the advantage to take an official manufacturer support when you go for DNF/One point finish at EVERY GP?

A Mercedes customer engine is a more better solution for a team like Williams , despite the $ that Honda can give for bring his engine on the car.

Sauber is in a different position, have no money,no possibility to spend money for a good engine and a Team principal that have ruined the team reputation whit last year Story with Vandergarde.

Williams please,don't sign with Honda.

[Mr Brooksy]

It's risky as hell...

When do the next set of engine rules kick in? I think i need to factor this in before saying anything.

2021 which is 3 more years away! I wouldn't touch Honda and it's millions with a barge poll.

I know in the 1980s they were the turbo motor to have, but it's almost 3 decades since they ended that dominance.

Since then the have returned with a more "simple formula NA V8s" and bombed out big time. Sold up and that team bolted a customer Merc engine in the back and history was made.

They came back again assuming that somehow the 3 decades ago dominance was sitting in the shed for them to dust off with McLaren and continue on... Only to be the laughing stock of F1.

With the current situation looking unlikely to change (outside of the desperate McLaren fan base hoping for a miracle), Williams leaping backwards into the arms of a frankly inept F1 engine manufacturer as has been the case in Hondas last 2 attempts. Williams might as well pack up and become a scooter sales yard.

All that to say... WILLIAMS PLEASE DON'T DO IT!

[Carinni]

Maybe there is no choice, they have no enough resources to make a winning chassis, with this gambling, at least a slim chance if Honda can pick up the pace after 1-2 years

[etusch]

As long as merc has his own team merc PU is not so good a team like mclaren. It was good for Williams when others struggling with the PU. Now it changed and It is not good for Williams too. It not help. So Williams must change their approach like mclaren did with Bullier. If you are thinking like that what is the situation now it will be same tomorrow too is not meet with real world. If It were true today's winner would be always winner. But things change and develop. Everybody reads/talks about making mistake and returning mistakes a learning but than stuck with the situation as if it will last forever in the same. No.
Maybe Honda can never do a better PU than merc or ferrari in the power side but can do competitive one. Being work team is important.
İf McLaren divorce Honda I am sure Williams choose to work with Honda and this will be right decision. İf McLaren choose the divorce it will be worst decision for Mclaren because of wrong timing. It will send all pains to garbage without gain just the time success start to come slowly.
If McLaren decides to keep going Williams must find a good PU partner to work with as works team

[Singabule]

Please sign with honda. 100mio injected budget worth 1 sec at minimum. Also with lower COG maybe help low speed cornering, something that will should adress at the moment