Friday – Williams feels like he’s growing wings

Williams was one of the most threatening teams at the start of the year. Since then, the team has struggled to find genuine performance, testing several aerodynamic packages, including the famous vertical cockpit wings. Finally, the team races in Melbourne, for the first Grand Prix weekend of the 2009 season in its simplest form, and it seems to be paying off.

As proof, Kazuki Nakajima and Nico Rosberg are in the top 10 in both of the day’s sessions. Even better, Nico Rosberg sets the two best times, even achieving a one-two finish with his teammate during Free Practice 1. Ecclestone can be reassured, the 2009 grid has regained its charm. The smaller teams are (finally) competing with the big ones.

It should also be noted that Nakajima had a more advanced single-seater than his German teammate. The Japanese driver had a chassis No. 4 of the FW31 and an H452 engine, as opposed to a chassis No. 3 for Rosberg and an H450 engine.

Nico Rosberg – 1st and 1st

« In both sessions of the day, I felt rather good. Even though there are only two real turns in this layout, the circuit remains demanding, but it feels good to be on track. »

« The FW31 seems to be behaving well and we might even be in a better position than we thought. Hopefully, it continues this way. »

Kazuki Nakajima – 2nd and 7th:

« The second sector is my favorite here at Albert Park. It includes a variety of very interesting turns and straight lines allowing you to gain quite a bit of speed. Turns 6, 9, 11, and 12 are very fast. It is, therefore, a mix of many things that makes the pace very difficult to find and demands your full attention. »