Japanese GP: Williams Race Review

By AT&T Williams F1 Team
October 11 2011

The AT&T Williams F1 team looks back at their 2011 Japanese Graqnd Prix.

 
 Williams Japanese GP Race Review
AT&T Williams leaves Suzuka with a two car finish but no points today as tyre degradation and a safety car deployment  compromised both its drivers' races. Pastor Maldonado's late surge in the closing laps saw him clear the Toro Rosso of  Alguersuari to claim 14th at the flag, while Rubens Barrichello concluded the Japanese Grand Prix in 17th. Congratulations to Sebastian Vettel on his second Drivers' World Championship.
Rubens Barrichello: Rubens Barrichello
 "Everything seemed to be playing our way at the start but then the safety car was deployed. That was bad timing for us. It closed the pack up and left us struggling on the wrong tyre at the end of the race which was too slow."
Pastor Maldonado: 
Pastor Maldonado"We had a difficult start on the prime tyres and our pace in the first stint was penalised quite heavily by them. We went onto the options at the second pitstop and that improved our pace considerably. We became fairly consistent after that. Towards the end of the race our pace was quick, I think possibly the quickest it’s been all weekend, but it was too late as we'd already lost out on a better finish in the opening laps. I did the best I possibly could today but it was not enough."
Mark Gillan, Chief Operations Engineer:
 Mark Gillan"We split the strategy today with Rubens starting on the option tyre on a three stop and Pastor on a two stop on primes. When the safety car was deployed, we switched Pastor onto a three stop strategy. Both drivers fought hard throughout the race but unfortunately we didn't have the pace to make it into the points. We will continue to develop the car and look ahead to Korea and India."

Track Suzuka Circuit, Japan
53 laps, 307.771 km/191.224 miles

Weather: Clear & Sunny
Air 23-240C, Track 25-350C

POS

DRIVER

TEAM

Time (Fastest Lap)

Grid

1

J Button

 McLaren

1:30:53.427 (1:36.568, 1st)

2

2

 F Alonso

Ferrari

+1.160 (1:36.682, 4th)

5

3

S Vettel

Red Bull

+2.006 (1:36.916, 6th)

1

 
14 P MALDONADO
FW32-02 CA443		 AT&T Williams +64.194 (1:37.645, 10th) 14
17 R BARRICHELLO
FW33-04 CA305		 AT&T Williams +74.191 (1:39.080, 16th) 13
 

Bookmark or share this story with: