The opening series of races for the 2014 Formula One season has seen the Williams Martini team secure points to allow it to currently be fifth in the Constructors championship, a vast improvement over their 2013 season. In the lead up to the Monaco Grand Prix Head of Vehicle Performance, Rob Smedley has spoken of his belief that the team can continue their good start to the season.

Williams lies fifth, ahead of McLaren, after five races, and Smedley was encouraged by the developments that were run on the car at the recent Spanish Grand Prix and the two day test after the event to feel that more points are likely in Monte Carlo.

After the Spanish Grand Prix Smedley commented on where the team is at by saying: “Our cup is half full. Well, its more than half full, its three-quarters full as we came here waiting to see how much the upgrades would work and, ultimately, they've been very successful. It's a downforce track, very difficult on the tyres, and I think you saw that the car worked very well. It was third quickest so, ultimately, we're very, very pleased with that.”

Smedley added: “I think, based on the result [in Barcelona], I'm slightly more optimistic than I was. I think we've come here with all the new package on the car and that's generated downforce, it's gone well. Monaco's a rear-limited circuit, so we will wear out the rear tyres and that will be what stops us [making progress] in the race, so it's just a case of making our rears go longer than anybody else.

“It's a strange race, with lots of quirks to it, one where you don't have to have the fastest car to win – although, with the speed or the fastest car this year, it will be difficult to beat it! Let's say that I am reasonably confident that we can have a good result. But it's about where Williams is at the minute, about getting points. We're getting points, getting decent points, although we seem to have flat-lined at the moment at ten points per race. But that's good - if we keep doing that from every race from now to the end of the season, its almost 200 points. I'm reasonably happy, but we have to keep progressing as we are.”

Smedley is also pleased to see how development being carried out at the factory is translating into gains on the track.

“Every single bit we bring to the track, we get onto the car, and …. that's been the same from the start of the season,” he noted, “We bring it, we do our due diligence and go through our full testing process on a Friday afternoon - and Saturday morning if need be - but the nature of the beast at the minute is that the correlation from here to the wind tunnel is very impressive and the car is improving from race to race. That, for me, and compared to my experience, is very, very impressive.”