Williams confirms 1st February debut for FW33

Williams has cleared up a round of confusion about its plans for the debut of its 2011 car.

We reported earlier that the FW33 will be ready for the opening of the Valencia group test on February 1, with Rubens Barrichello at the wheel.

But Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport muddied the waters this week by reporting that the British team will actually travel to Cheste with an "interim car", with the debut of the new car not expected until mid February.

Williams cleared up the confusion on Tuesday by announcing that the FW33 will indeed debut on 1 February, with Barrichello in charge until the middle of the second day of the test when his new teammate Pastor Maldonado takes over.

"The car will run with an interim livery so no roll out for photography purposes will take place," the team said in a statement.

"The team will announce an official launch of the FW33, complete with its new livery, at a later date," it added.