Williams gears up for F1 season | CNN

Williams gears up for F1 season

2 minute read
Published 3:01 PM EST, Tue February 19, 2013
Pastor Maldonado took the new Williams for a spin at Barcelona on February 19 following the launch at Circuit de Catalunya.
F1 teams unveil 2013 cars —
Pastor Maldonado took the new Williams for a spin at Barcelona on February 19 following the launch at Circuit de Catalunya.
Paul Gilham/Getty Images
The new Infiniti Red Bull Racing RB9 was launched at the Austrian-owned Formula One team's English headquarters in Milton Keynes on February 3.
F1 teams unveil 2013 cars —
The new Infiniti Red Bull Racing RB9 was launched at the Austrian-owned Formula One team's English headquarters in Milton Keynes on February 3.
Mark Thompson/Getty Images
Mark Webber, left, and triple world champion Sebastian Vettel pose with the Red Bull they will be driving this year.
F1 teams unveil 2013 cars —
Mark Webber, left, and triple world champion Sebastian Vettel pose with the Red Bull they will be driving this year.
Richard Heathcote/Getty Images
Title rivals Ferrari launched the new F138 which they hope will power Fernando Alonso to glory in 2013.
F1 teams unveil 2013 cars —
Title rivals Ferrari launched the new F138 which they hope will power Fernando Alonso to glory in 2013.
ferrari/getty images
British team McLaren unveiled its car on January 31. New driver Sergio Perez (right) poses with 2009 world champion Jenson Button and the new MP4-28.
F1 teams unveil 2013 cars —
British team McLaren unveiled its car on January 31. New driver Sergio Perez (right) poses with 2009 world champion Jenson Button and the new MP4-28.
ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP/Getty Images/file
Former McLaren star Lewis Hamilton, left, and new teammate Nico Rosberg pose with the new Mercedes W04 on February 4.
F1 teams unveil 2013 cars —
Former McLaren star Lewis Hamilton, left, and new teammate Nico Rosberg pose with the new Mercedes W04 on February 4.
Justin Davies/Getty Images
Sauber's new C32 was launched in Switzerland on February 2. It will be driven by Perez's replacement Esteban Gutierrez and Nico Hulkenberg, who left Force India in 2012.
F1 teams unveil 2013 cars —
Sauber's new C32 was launched in Switzerland on February 2. It will be driven by Perez's replacement Esteban Gutierrez and Nico Hulkenberg, who left Force India in 2012.
Harold Cunningham/Getty Images
Force India's Paul Di Resta with the new VJM06 which was launched on February 1 at Silverstone. His new teammate had yet to be named.
F1 teams unveil 2013 cars —
Force India's Paul Di Resta with the new VJM06 which was launched on February 1 at Silverstone. His new teammate had yet to be named.
Mark Thompson/Getty Images
Charles Pic and Dutch rookie Giedo van der Garde launched Caterham's new CT03 car on the first day of preseason testing at Circuito de Jerez on February 5.
F1 teams unveil 2013 cars —
Charles Pic and Dutch rookie Giedo van der Garde launched Caterham's new CT03 car on the first day of preseason testing at Circuito de Jerez on February 5.
Paul Gilham/Getty Images
Romain Grosjean was third-fastest on the opening day in Jerez for Lotus, which was the first team to launch its new car -- the E21 -- on January 28.
F1 teams unveil 2013 cars —
Romain Grosjean was third-fastest on the opening day in Jerez for Lotus, which was the first team to launch its new car -- the E21 -- on January 28.
Mark Thompson/Getty Images
F1 teams unveil 2013 cars

Story highlights

Williams unveiled new FW35 at Barcelona Tuesday

Pastor Maldonado took the new car for a spin around Circuit de Catalunya

Williams confident new car will help team compete at the front end of the grid

Mercedes star Nico Rosberg the fastest man on the track on first day of testing

Williams unveiled its new car for the 2013 season on the first day of testing at Barcelona Tuesday with renewed ambition following a complete transformation of last season’s vehicle.

The Renault-powered FW35 “is an evolution of the FW34 of 2012, it’s better and more refined, with more than 80 percent new parts,” Williams’ technical director Mike Coughlan told reporters.

Venezuela’s Pastor Maldonado gave the team its first win in seven-and-a-half years when he triumphed at last season’s Spanish Grand Prix.

Maldonado, who is entering his third season with Williams, will be joined in the paddock by 23-year-old Finn Valtteri Bottas, who replaced Bruno Senna.

Read: Raikkonen on a roll at Jerez

Sebastian Vettel celebrates with his team and admirers after a pulsating race at Interlagos in Brazil. But where does the Red Bull driver rank in the pantheon of F1's virtuosos?
Sebastian Vettel celebrates with his team and admirers after a pulsating race at Interlagos in Brazil. But where does the Red Bull driver rank in the pantheon of F1's virtuosos?
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Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost were long-time rivals before they became teammates at McLaren.
Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost were long-time rivals before they became teammates at McLaren.
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Team owner Frank Williams is confident that his team will be ready to compete at the front of the grid when the season starts in Australia on March 17.

Williams told reporters: “A talented group of people with lots of imagination worked hard to produce the FW35.

“We believe it represents a step forward to last year’s car which was already very competitive.”

Read: ‘Identikit’ 2013 season

Meanwhile, Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg clocked the fastest time of the day at 1 minute 22.616 seconds.

The German edged out Lotus’s Kimi Raikkonen with Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso finishing third fastest.

Alonso, who is chasing a third world title, recorded a fastest time of 1 minute 22.952 seconds.

Triple world champion Sebastian Vettel finished three tenths of a second slower than Rosberg after leading the time charts following the morning session.

Read: Vettel revs up for glory

Rosberg told the Mercedes website: “We had a mixed day today with some laps lost this morning. However we were able to work through a good program this afternoon and, of course, it’s always nice to be quickest at the end of the day.

“In general, I feel happy and comfortable in the car and it feels better than the last time we were here at this track. There is still some work to be done on tire degradation and our program this afternoon was helpful in understanding that.”