Williams rear end issue hampered Russell’s F1 race in Portimao
George Russell says that his Williams Formula 1 team discovered an issue with his car that contributed to his struggles in last weekend's Portuguese GP.


Russell put in his best qualifying performance of his Williams career thus far by earning 11th on the grid, but in what he called "a race of survival" he slipped back to eventually finish 16th.
Russell pointed out that his 11th place in qualifying flattered the true form of the Williams package, as several drivers from midfield teams underperformed, and the FW43B was actually only the eighth fastest car. Thus it was not a surprise when he was passed by quicker cars in the race.
“We did find there was a small issue on the rear of the car, which definitely did not help things on Sunday,” Russell said in Barcelona on Thursday.
“But I think we are fighting for this eighth and ninth position in the constructors' [championship], that's roughly where the pace of the car is.
"And I think it is worth remembering that we were the eighth quickest car on Saturday, even though we qualified 11th there were a lot of very fast drivers who were behind us.
“That doesn't take anything away from a very difficult Sunday in very tricky conditions and we still need to work on improving that.
"But it must be remembered that there were Ricciardo, Alonso, Stroll who are often fighting for that Q3 spot, well behind us and out in Q1 and the start of Q2.
“So we need to keep on improving, we need to make a more drivable car, less sensitive, so Nicholas [Latifi] and I can really push it to its limits, because that was very difficult in the race on Sunday.”
Read Also:
Russell says that his team has been getting everything right in qualifying, when rivals haven’t always done so. “I think as a team, we do a great job at optimising it to be honest,” he explained.
“I think, as we just touched on, there were a few people who didn't optimise their packages. As we said, we were still only the eighth fastest car and team in qualifying.
“But that translated to P11 on the grid. So we just did a really good job at maximising the tyres, maximising the traffic management and the lap, which is really important.
"And when you get into Sunday's race, and you have 60-odd laps to get into the rhythm, sort of feel at one with the car, I think the true pace of everybody's package comes out.
“But we need to continue on these positives from Saturday and try and implement them more onto Sunday.”
Russell also noted that Williams' race form has on occasion been impacted by windy conditions, something that the car is particularly sensitive to, which have contributed to a disparity between qualifying and race form.
“I think Imola was a great example of where the car was working very well in qualifying and in the race, we were in 10th position, chasing the Mercedes [Valtteri Bottas] and going for an overtake for P9 on pure pace and pure merit, I think.
“We have had two out of three races now work has been quite gusty, unnaturally gusty and windy. And I guess we need to get fortunate. But as it is in racing and in life, you make your own luck.
“So we need to see how we get on, and still give it a few more races to get a true baseline of where we think realistically we can fizzle out of this season.”
Related video

Hamilton: People need to give Bottas a break
F1 drivers react to 2021 Barcelona track changes

Latest news
The strange tyre travails faced by F1’s past heroes
Modern grand prix drivers like to think the tyres they work with are unusually difficult and temperamental. But, says MAURICE HAMILTON, their predecessors faced many of the same challenges – and some even stranger…
US fan demand can support "many more" F1 races, says COTA chief
The boss of the Circuit of The Americas believes there is enough demand from North American Formula 1 fans to support “many more” races in the United States.
Aston Martin: CFD data shows rear wing does not hurt F1 rules intent
Aston Martin says simulation data it gave to the FIA proved that its radical rear wing idea did not scupper the intent of Formula 1's 2023 rules to improve racing.
Zhou opens up on abuse ahead of F1 debut: "It hurt quite a bit"
Zhou Guanyu was "quite surprised" by the level of abuse he faced online prior to his Formula 1 debut with Alfa Romeo, saying it "hurt quite a bit."
The strange tyre travails faced by F1’s past heroes
Modern grand prix drivers like to think the tyres they work with are unusually difficult and temperamental. But, says MAURICE HAMILTON, their predecessors faced many of the same challenges – and some even stranger…
The returning fan car revolution that could suit F1
Gordon Murray's Brabham BT46B 'fan car' was Formula 1 engineering at perhaps its most outlandish. Now fan technology has been successfully utilised on the McMurtry Speirling at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, could it be adopted by grand prix racing once again?
Hamilton's first experience of turning silver into gold
The seven-time F1 champion has been lumbered with a duff car before the 2022 Mercedes. Back in 2009, McLaren’s alchemists transformed the disastrous MP4-24. And now it’s happening again at his current team
Why few would blame Leclerc if he leaves Ferrari in future
OPINION: Ferrari's numerous strategy blunders, as well as some of his own mistakes, have cost Charles Leclerc dearly in the 2022 Formula 1 title battle in the first half of the season. Though he is locked into a deal with Ferrari, few could blame Leclerc if he ultimately wanted to look elsewhere - just as Lewis Hamilton did with McLaren 10 years prior.
The other McLaren exile hoping to follow Perez's path to a top F1 seat
After being ditched by McLaren earlier in his F1 career Sergio Perez fought his way back into a seat with a leading team. BEN EDWARDS thinks the same could be happening to another member of the current grid
How studying Schumacher helped make Coulthard a McLaren F1 mainstay
Winner of 13 grands prix including Monaco and survivor of a life-changing plane crash, David Coulthard could be forgiven for having eased into a quiet retirement – but, as MARK GALLAGHER explains, in fact he’s busier than ever, running an award-winning media company and championing diversity in motor racing. Not bad for someone who, by his own admission, wasn’t quite the fastest driver of his generation…
Could F1 move to a future beyond carbon fibre?
Formula 1 has ambitious goals for improving its carbon footprint, but could this include banishing its favoured composite material? Pat Symonds considers the alternatives to carbon fibre and what use, if any, those materials have in a Formula 1 setting
The traits that fuelled Alonso's unexpected Aston Martin F1 move
Fernando Alonso’s bombshell switch to Aston Martin sent shockwaves through Formula 1, not least at Alpine that finds itself tangled in a contract standoff with Oscar Piastri. Not shy of a bold career move and with a CV punctuated by them, there were numerous hints that trouble was brewing.