Right, now we come to Williams in our season preview. 2011 was an absolute nightmare for Williams, Frank must have been screaming to himself. We all have a special place in our heart for Williams, especially since Nigel Mansell won the championship in 1992 in the Williams FW14B. Then there was 1996 when Damon Hill won the championship with the team and Murray Walker said "I've got to stop now.....I've got a lump in my throat". Williams have had some wonderful times but in recent years there has been a steady decline. We will come back to old drivers in a moment as I have a point to make.
Last year they had rookie Pastor Maldonado and the very experienced Rubens Barrichello. I would have said not a bad mix, it's just a shame that they had the worst car on the grid (apart from the 3 new teams, and even Team Lotus beat them a couple of times). So for 2012, you'd think they would hope to have a much better car and stick with the same well mixed line up as 2011. You'd be wrong, because they have let Rubens Barrichello go and employed the services of another nearly new driver. Now I'm not saying anything against Bruno Senna here, in fact I think he has some talent and with a good car could challenge for podiums, however I don't believe he'll follow in his uncle Ayrton's footsteps (that's the only time I will mention them both together on this website because it's wholly unfair on Bruno as he is his own person). What I am saying is that I believe Williams have made another huge mistake, just like when they let Damon Hill go after he won the world championship, what's all that about? I still don't understand to this day. Now, as they are in recovery mode, they have decided to get rid of the most experienced driver in the history of the sport. It's like trying to restore a computer but throwing the Windows disc away first.
So how are they going to do in 2012? I can actually see a massive improvement for them this year. Despite what I have said they do have two good drivers (not great, but good). They should easily move up the field and finish in the points on a regular basis. I think that a lot depends on the drivers. The team have taken some big steps in the backroom staff and should be able to produce a competitive car, so much so that I think they will be battling with Renault for 6th spot in the championships. However here comes the BUT, if the drivers aren't up to scratch then they will be fighting Toro Rosso, Sauber and Force India. Let's hope that the team have got their act in gear and produce a better car.
2011 Position - 9th
2012 Predicted Position - 6th
Conclusion - Despite everything I have said, I do believe that Williams will have a good season in comparison to 2011. I believe that they will be on the road to recovery but they really need to think a bit more about drivers. They will be fighting for the tail end of the points and will occasionally get amongst the bigger points which will lift them to 6th. Here's hoping!!
No comments:
Post a Comment