Motorsport Week finally brings its annual team-by-team review and ratings to a close. Bringing up the rear in championship position and our ratings is…Williams.
Williams has been on a gradual regression through the hybrid era, as its Mercedes advantage wanes, but even accounting for that no-one saw its 2018 form coming. It was a miserable season with only a few flickers of encouragement. Williams was cut adrift of the tightly-packed midfield battle – 26 points behind Toro Rosso – and scored points only twice. Major flaws with its FW41 were identified early on and Williams set about putting long-term fixes in place, though the extent to which it can recover given the strength of its rivals must be a concern. Whereas with McLaren there was an element of hubris at its decline, with Williams there was merely sadness at its plight.
If they were a football team they’d be: Sunderland. Finally given a wake-up call.
 | Best Race: Abu Dhabi – it meant 2018 was finally over. |  | Worst Race: Britain was appalling in an oasis of dirge. |
Stroll emphasised through 2018 that he had improved as a driver but given Williams’ dismal plight and a new face across the garage it was difficult to compare him to the 2017-spec. He remains superb in low-grip conditions and prised his chances in Azerbaijan and Italy, though perhaps should have kept Fernando Alonso at bay in the former. As media we only get a snapshot of drivers and for much of the year he cut a sullen and disinterested figure, in contrast with the engaging and erudite Sirotkin. You couldn’t help but feel he was counting down the days until he could join Force India. On a positive note one skill of his remains first lap gains.
Where to improve: Communication skills left a lot to be desired, while on-track he can still improve everywhere.
Surprising Stat: 41% of his career points have been scored in Azerbaijan.
| Best Race: It has to be Azerbaijan. | | Worst Race: First-lap exit in Canada was disappointing. |
Sirotkin was unfortunate to step up just as Williams lurched backwards and his only point came courtesy of a rival’s post-race exclusion. But there were still some positives. He got the better of Stroll in qualifying and was superb in Monaco, while off-track he was eloquent and diligent in his conduct, with Williams speaking positively over his contribution. He would undoubtedly be a stronger driver if given a second season but long-term backers SMP Racing felt otherwise, understandably nixed at paying £15m for a year of relative anonymity.
Where to improve: Difficult to know given the limitations of Williams’ package.
Surprising Stat: Sirotkin’s Monza point ensured every driver scored points in an F1 season – the first time this has happened.
| Best Race: Monaco… until a team tyre blunder. | | Worst Race: Spain was a nightmare, while he’s probably the only driver whose debut was ended by a sandwich bag. |
