It has long been claimed by Williams driver Robert Kubica that his and George Russell‘s cars are not identical and that Williams are at a loss to explain the difference and unsure how to remedy it.
This has been used by supporters of Kubica to justify the Pole’s lack of pace that has seen him beaten by his young team-mate in every meaningful session in the 2019 Formula 1 season.
Kubica has fallen short of saying Russell’s car is better than his own, only that they are not the same and it’s that difference that is unsettling the Pole, rendering him incapable of getting the most from his FW42.
“It’s clear that we are driving two different cars with the same set-up, so that is something we need to understand…It’s quite obvious on the data” Kubica said of the issue.
Kubica has suggested that he suspects that the anomalies exist as a result of there being a difference in the construction of the floors of his and Russell’s cars.
However, when George Russell came to blows with a manhole cover in Baku during practice for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, he did so with the floor Kubica used in the opening Grands Prix of 2019.
The collision destroyed said floor and so the team arrive at the Spanish Grand Prix with a new floor and the one Kubica was comparing his own to when he said he was having issues.
“The chassis, as far as we’re concerned…[are]…identical chassis” said Williams Formula 1 Deputy Team Principal Claire Williams in an interview with Autosport.
“I know Robert has thought that the floors were slightly different”
“[It] was the floor that was on George’s car during the Baku manhole cover incident…so that’s effectively gone.”
Kubica added on getting a new floor “Hopefully this will be fixed, and at least it will give me better comfort and consistency on the car.”
Williams travel to the Spanish Grand Prix, the fifth round of the 2019 Formula 1 World Championship without a point, and with a considerable deficit to their nearest rivals, and on the back of possibly their worst ever Formula 1 Grand Prix.
Getting consistent feedback from their two drivers will help them close that gap, and pull them back into the midfield where they would dearly love to end the season.
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