Wing problems for Williams

Technical problems were responsible for halting much of the progress Williams had hoped to make during the opening day of testing at Jerez on Thursday. Newly-signed Pastor Maldonado was only able to complete 14 laps at the Spanish circuit, after an early-morning issue with the rear wing on the team’s new FW33 caused problems throughout the day.

"It has not been a productive day for us I'm afraid," Technical Director Sam Michael said. "After the installation lap we had a problem with a bleed screw for the rear wing hydraulic actuator. It is straightforward to correct, however during the day it caused a lot of downtime as we shuffled parts around to get the car out on the track."

Ahead of running tomorrow, Michael is more confident of making inroads into the squads’s testing program. Maldonado was able to collect the aero data required towards the end of the day, as the team tested air flow at the front of its new car.

"On the positive side, in the late afternoon we did complete all the aero testing that required the front tire rake, so that will come off tonight," Michael concluded.