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Williams and Renault: A driver short, and paying for their asking price

Felipe Massa is taking his final bow in F1. (AP Photo/Andy Brownbill)
Roar Guru
17th May, 2017
4

Williams and Renault’s lead drivers have performed admirably to date, though their respective teammates have left much to be desired throughout the opening portion of the season.

Felipe Massa has justified his stay of execution and Nico Hulkenberg has immediately vindicated his career-defining switch, yet Lance Stroll and Jolyon Palmer appear out of their depth to varying degrees.

In contrast to Force India’s stunning consistency culminating in a double top-five finish at last weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix, these two outfits risk being left behind in the battle for fourth in the constructors standings – but these teams have made their own beds, and nobody should be offering any sympathy.

Rendering the imbalance even more galling is Red Bull’s ongoing struggle, with reliability issues plaguing its charge notwithstanding the inherent lack of pace in the ‘conservative’ RB13. Force India has repeatedly been in place to gather the spoils, most prolifically at the previous two events, while Williams and Renault endure weekends of wildly varied fortunes.

It’s increasingly conceivable that Force India could threaten the Milton Keynes squad for third should it draw a line through its seemingly futile title bid and concentrate resources on next season. As it stands, the aforementioned teams can only count on one driver to deliver, insufficient to their own pursuit.

The reasons for Stroll’s presence at the Grove outfit are well documented, with his father’s considerable fortune proving irresistible, and while the 18-year-old has endured his share of misfortune, the Canadian has been well off the pace in the FW40, which had demonstrated its competitiveness in Massa’s hands until a forgettable Sunday for the pair at Barcelona.

Jumping directly from Formula Three into the furnace was always going to represent a baptism of fire, though Max Verstappen is an exception to the rule, and it appears that Stroll would have been best served with another 12 months learning the ropes rather than damaging his long-term prospects.

(Image: David Davies/PA via AP)

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Palmer is in his second campaign and, short of the perception that he’s a ‘placeholder’ aided by his own father’s financial contribution until a bigger name can be lured to Enstone, displays few signs of realising a third on merit with any other suitor. Involving himself in collisions, some entirely avoidable at his own hand, the Briton cuts a frustrated figure, often providing questionable excuses for his plight while his more esteemed teammate flourishes in the same machinery.

The 26-year-old’s partner at Renault is flattering the RS17, which has proven more competitive than foreseen, even if it initially struggled for pace on Sundays. If Palmer were half decent, he’d be troubling the points, thus his struggles to reach Q2 and often languishing at the rear of the field paint a damning portrait.

Massa has been labelled an invaluable mentor to Stroll, but it remains to be seen how soon the latter can harness his wisdom and make a valuable contribution, while Hulkenberg took a gamble in departing the safety of Force India and is dually reviving his own stagnant career while sinking another.

We always knew the season was going to amount to an arms race, yet the outfit which was deemed most likely to struggle at the earlier events has been most equipped to capitalise where others have fallen short, purely by counting on two drivers on who they can depend, which is midfield gold.

Part of the situation is circumstance – but you make your own luck in Formula One, so it is that two storied names find themselves humbled by an operation which does the simple parts very well with minimal fuss.

All the while Williams and Renault are paying for their asking price.

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