Williams go for aggressive approach to halt Ferrari

The Formula One ritual that is the car launch season continues in Barcelona today when Williams-BMW parade the FW25, along with their drivers and senior team personnel. However, this is an event that has taken on added significance.

Williams are the only team of the three credible world championship contenders intent on running their new car from the opening race, the Australian Grand Prix, in Melbourne on 9 March. The defending champions and title favourites, Ferrari, plan to follow the course that proved so effective last year, and start with the "old'' car, affording them more time to perfect the latest creation from Maranello.

McLaren-Mercedes have adopted a similar strategy, they will rely on an interim car, incorporating developments tested through the winter, for at least the first three grands prix, hoping they have a genuinely improved challenger when it is eventually pressed into service. Williams and McLaren conceded early last season that they had been too conservative in their car designs and that they had lost further ground to Ferrari. They recognised they had to take a more aggressive approach to 2003 if they were to have any prospect of denying the Italian team a fifth consecutive constructors' championship and Michael Schumacher a fourth drivers' title in a row.

McLaren's British driver, David Coulthard, has expressed confidence that his team will at least overhaul Williams to take second place in the championship and perhaps threaten Ferrari's domination. Williams, who run their new car this weekend, prefer to reserve judgement and comment, but clearly, if they have come up with something special, they have the opportunity to steal a march on their main rivals.

Patrick Head, Williams' technical director, said pointedly: "David must hold us in low opinion, but I think prejudging a season is pretty difficult. McLaren are doing good times in testing and appear to have made considerable steps forward, but until we run with the new car I wouldn't like to say how good it is.

"I find it's better to keep your mouth shut rather than go around making predictions based on winter testing. It's not until you are well into the races that you really get more of a picture of how the championship is likely to pan out.''

Head plays down the notion that the FW25 is a revolutionary development in Formula One car design. He said: "I saw somebody quoted as saying we were making a radical car. Well, it's not radical. The regulations are such that you have severe restrictions on what you can do.

"But it is a considerable departure from the previous layout. We felt there was no further development potential from last year's car. We've taken quite a different route and the analysis says it is a lot better. How much better, we'll have to wait and see.''

Head acknowledges that the whole team have to do better this year. Williams were expected to present Ferrari with stern competition last season, yet although their German driver, Ralf Schumacher, delivered an early victory in Malaysia, it was the team's final success of the championship. Ferrari were defeated in only one other grand prix, Monaco, by Coulthard.

The sense of dismay was evident in both the British camps. At Williams, morale was further undermined by the unavoidable impression that Schumacher and the team's other driver, the Colombian, Juan Pablo Montoya, failed to perform to their capabilities. They, in turn, felt the team had let them down by providing inadequate equipment. Head is hopeful the subsequent soul-searching will have proved productive. Montoya is widely considered the man most likely to challenge Michael Schumacher's pre-eminence, but has been reminded that ability alone will not be enough to dislodge the five-times champion.

"We thought last year that Juan was perhaps relying too much on natural talent and not putting enough thought into his work,'' Head said. "He realises it would be a great waste if he didn't achieve more with the talent he has.

"But I think he realises he needs more than that if he is to beat Michael and everybody in the team has been impressed with his diligence and application in this winter's testing.''

The team are also anxious that Ralf Schumacher should demonstrate the kind of commitment and enthusiasm that characterise his brother's work. The younger Schumacher's test programme has been interrupted by back problems but he is expected to be in the car this weekend.

Head said: "I think generally Ralf is in good shape. He's lost a bit of weight, he's cheerful and chatty and very much more positive than before. He's raring to go.

"I'm sure both our drivers, for their part, are saying, 'let's hope those buggers back at the factory come up with something better this time'. I think the car will be better.''

Whether it will be good enough to beat Ferrari is another matter, as Head accepts. "The problem is in matching Ferrari's combination of speed and phenomenal reliability," he said. "It is very difficult to gain both at the same time. I think it is most likely that the top three teams this year will be the same as last year, although I wouldn't rule out at least one of the others stepping forward.

"Toyota are becoming more serious and I think BAR could do a better job this year, especially if Honda take a step forward with their engine development. One or two others might make significant improvements, as well.''