Williams’ blown diffuser to be tested in Friday practices

Williams will decide whether to race a Red Bull-like blown rear exhaust layout at Silverstone this weekend after Friday’s practice sessions.

With official confirmation on Tuesday, the British team will become the third team to emulate on track Red Bull’s low-exhaust concept, with engine gases diverted through the double diffuser to boost downforce.

In the hands of Finnish test driver Valtteri Bottas, the new package made its debut on the runway at England’s Kemble airport on Tuesday.

Sam Michael, Technical Director

Although Silverstone has undergone some significant layout changes since last year, the traditional, high speed first sector hasn’t been touched and remains the circuit’s biggest challenge for the drivers and chassis. The FW32 will have further upgrades for the British Grand Prix, including an exhaust blown diffuser, rear brake duct and front suspension changes. We’ll evaluate the exhaust during the practice sessions on Friday and will make a final decision as to whether we race it that night.

Rubens Barrichello

Valencia was a good effort by the team. It was satisfying to see us move forward and I hope that we continue to do so. To help with that, we have more upgrades coming for Silverstone, which I hope will make the car go faster again. There’s a good vibe in the team to get us back to where we should be and I’m proud to be a part of that effort.

I honestly love England and going to Silverstone. I lived in Cambridge for a while to learn the
language and to participate in the lower categories so it’s fantastic to go back and race at Silverstone. I like the track a lot. I know it’s undergone some changes since last year, but I watched the MotoGP on the TV a couple of weeks ago and we still have Becketts, Stowe and Club - I love Becketts! I hope we put on a good show for the public and we have good weather; that could be sunshine or rain, either is good for me!

Nico Hülkenberg

We have another update coming for Silverstone. Others will probably be doing the same, so we will have to work hard to keep the momentum going and stay in the top ten. It’s a massive positive that we continue to have new developments in the pipeline. It’s always good to know that everyone in the factory is trying hard to develop the car in order to move forward.

I have spent some time at the factory learning Silverstone’s new layout in the simulator, but it will be more interesting to see exactly what they’ve done when we get there. As I’ve lived in Oxford for a while now, and because it’s just down the road from Silverstone, I kind of see the British Grand Prix as my second home race. I’m looking forward to getting started as I have unfinished business from Valencia.