(Williams Martini Racing)
This weekend's British Grand Prix at the Silverstone circuit will be a special event for the Williams Martini Racing Team because not only is it the teams home Grand Prix and the first race since they recorded their best result since the 2012 Spanish Grand Prix when Valtteri Bottas finished in third place in Austria while Felipe Massa finished the race in fourth place, Susie Wolff will drive the FW36 in the opening practice session on Friday morning.
Giovanna Amati was the last female driver to take part an official Formula One Grand Prix when she attempted to qualify for the 1992 Brazilian Grand Prix. The Williams Martini Racing Team have scored point's in every race so far this season and currently lie in 5th place in the Constructors championship closing the gap to the Sahara Force India Formula One Team.
Silverstone won't be first and indeed the last time that Susie will be behind the FW36 as she drove the car in the opening test of winter while she will also give the car a run out in the opening Friday session at the German Grand Prix. Speaking ahead of this weekend's race, Rob Smedley, Williams head of Vehicle Performance said:
' Silverstone is a very interesting circuit. It poses a real challenge to the engineers and drivers as we have to set the cars up for such high speed corners like Abbey, Copse and the Maggotts-Becketts complex. The car does have to be set up differently from other high speed circuits. The layout has high power and drag sensitivity which should suit our car this season. Depending on the temperature we can suffer from rear tyre graining, however, the hard tyre we have for the weekend could also suffer from low-temperature issues which we will have to manage.
The weather always plays a huge part in the weekend as it can change from session to session. The circuit is old-school in terms of spectators as the layout allows the fans to get a good view, which makes for a great atmosphere; there is always a full house which makes it a pleasure to go there.'
Fresh from his appearance at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, Felipe Massa will celebrate his 200th Formula One Grand Prix this weekend and ahead of the race the Brazilian said:
'Silverstone will be a special race, not just because it is the team’s home race, but also because I shall celebrate my 200th Grand Prix. British fans are passionate about Formula One and it will be great to see the support for the team.
Silverstone is a very quick track and good downforce is needed. I really like the Maggotts-Becketts complex; it’s a really fast part of the track and very important to get right. It will be interesting to see if we can maintain the pace w'e had in Austria, but the main focus will be on getting some good points.'
Valtteri Bottas is extremely excited about the British Grand Prix following the Finnish driver's best ever Formula One result last time out in Austria where he finished the race on the podium in third place behind the Mercedes duo. Bottas said:
'I am really looking forward to Silverstone. It’s always a great event and means a lot to us as it’s the team’s home Grand Prix, so hopefully some of the guys from the factory can come up and support us as well. We are hoping for a good result again, but will have to wait and see how the track suits us. We are aiming to be strong and to build on the momentum we have coming from Austria.
Susie Wolff will drive the Finn's FW36 and in an interview with the Scottish Daily Record she said:
'I am very excited about Silverstone. It’s a massive opportunity for me and one that I’ve worked long and hard to get. I’m proud to be part of Williams. They are an iconic British team with a lot of heritage in the sport. As a British driver, taking part in the British Grand Prix is also very special, especially as it’s Silverstone’s 50th birthday.
Susie Wolff's Friday test comes just day's after Sauber affiliated driver Simona De Silvestro drove the Sauber C31 as she aims to gain a full time drive in Formula One in 2015.
Williams are in an extremely strong position to secure a strong result this weekend following their fantastic result last time out at the Austrian Grand Prix.
© Ben Johnston 2014
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