(Williams Martini Racing)
Turn the clock back 12 months, The Williams F1 Team were an outfit under immense pressure. The Grove based team headed to their home race, the British Grand Prix at Silverstone yet to score point however fast forward to 2014, and the Grove based outfit have done an extremely good job. Felipe Massa secured his first pole position since 2008 while Valtteri Bottas started the race from the front row which was the Finn's best ever Formula One qualifying result.
Come the race on Sunday, the did not disappoint. They scored a huge 27 point's to move ahead of McLaren Mercedes into fifth place in the Constructors championship while closing to within two point's of the Sahara Force India Formula One Team.
The team have continued the trend of scoring point's in ever race so far this season with Valtteri Bottas securing his first ever podium finish in Formula One with a fantastic drive to third place, finishing the race just ahead of team mate Felipe Massa who finished in fourth place.
The result's that the team have achieved so far this are testament to the incredible work that Sir Frank, deputy team principal Claire Williams, Chief technical officer Pat Symonds and Head of Performance Engineering Rob Smedley have done so far this season and over the winter. The team also have a new part owner in American healthcare executive Brad Hollinger who was at the Austrian Grand Prix at the weekend.
Claire Williams confirmed after the race that Hollinger has taken the five percent shareholding but has not come to the team as an investor.
The American feels that 'Formula One is on the cusp of an explosion on social media' and also the fact that Formula One has had an extremely successful return to the United States with the Circuit of the America's in Austin, Texas.
At last year's race in Silverstone, Pastor Maldonado finished the race just outside the point's in eleventh place just ahead of Valtteri Bottas in 12th.
The team have certainly showed what they can do with their new Mercedes power unit having showed exceptional straight line speed at the Austrian Grand Prix. The team have also secured a title sponsorship agreement with Martini, along with a major sponsorship and supply deal with Brazilian oil company Petrobas.
Following the team's performance at the Red Bull Ring over the weekend it is not a case of if they win a race this season but when they win a race in 2014 and that victory is just around the corner. The team will have their test and development driver in the car on Friday at both the British Grand Prix next weekend and at the following race, the German Grand Prix.
Scotland's Susie Wolff will drive Valtteri Bottas' FW36 in the opening Free Practice session next Friday. She becomes the first female driver in over 20 years to take part in an official FIA Formula One session. Wolff has already driven the FW36 as she was the first of Williams driver's to test car when Winter testing got underway. She also drove the car during the two day in season test at the Circuit De Catalunya Barcelona following the Spanish Grand Prix in May.
Scotland's Susie Wolff will drive Valtteri Bottas' FW36 in the opening Free Practice session next Friday. She becomes the first female driver in over 20 years to take part in an official FIA Formula One session. Wolff has already driven the FW36 as she was the first of Williams driver's to test car when Winter testing got underway. She also drove the car during the two day in season test at the Circuit De Catalunya Barcelona following the Spanish Grand Prix in May.
© Ben Johnston 2014
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