Williams: More to come after British GP boost

Williams thinks there is even more to come from its car, after delivering a Ferrari-beating performance in qualifying for the British Grand Prix.

Felipe Massa, Williams in the FIA Press Conference

Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas produced the best joint grid result of the season for their Grove-based outfit, as they locked out the second row of the grid at Silverstone.

Performance chief Rob Smedley was delighted with the result, which he thinks not only ends suggestions his outfit cannot maintain development but also means the fight with Ferrari for runner-up in the championship is back on.

"I was quoted some time back as saying it was a myth that we couldn't develop the car – and hopefully I think we have dispelled that myth," explained Smedley after qualifying.

"We are constantly developing the car, and we are doing it in small incremental steps. There is more to come, this year as well, which is good.

"We are just trying to get ourselves into a more and more favourable position. And, as I have said before, we do want to try to get that second position in the championship. That is our target now, so we have to keep chipping away to it."

Surprised by Ferrari gap

Although admitting that the eight tenths gap to pole position is a cause for concern, Smedley said he was surprised that Ferrari were a little adrift.

"That [eight tenths to pole] is a big chunk to me and it is something we need to work on and improve if we want to win races on our own merit," he said.

"I said pre-weekend that this is a circuit that will definitely suit our car with all the high speed sections and it being high power sensitivity, high drag sensitivity and high downforce sensitivity.

"So if you did all the numbers and all the modelling, then it seemed like we would have a reasonable chance against Ferrari.

"I think I am possibly pleasantly surprised about the size of the gap; but it is a question that you need to ask Ferrari because they didn't seem to pick up anything through qualifying.

"They got their first qualifying run in and then were pretty stable from then on in. Whether or not they use all the power unit energy or availability in the first qualifying I don't know, but we have a plan and a strategy for going through qualifying and making sure we put ourselves in the best position possible for Q3."