Voules: It's nice if we annoy the leaders sometimes.

      James Vaulz, head of Williams Racing, spoke about the specifics of the period that his team is going through now, about the beginning of cooperation with Carlos Sainz, and also admitted that he is looking forward to the premiere of the F1 film.

      Q: It's clear that the race weekend is just beginning, but Carlos Sainz worked with you on the tests a couple of weeks ago, and the results of your first training sessions in Melbourne look good. Are you starting to believe in the potential of the FW47?James Voules: I believe in the effectiveness of the work that we did in the winter, but so far we have only completed training, and we followed a program that was slightly different from the programs of some other teams, I know that for sure.

      I have no doubt that we did a good job, and Carlos is in great shape. If we talk about Alex, then there was a problem with the brakes in training on his car, and in these circumstances his session did not go well.

      But at the same time, we need to remain realistic. The top four teams now include McLaren. I would like to say that we will also be in the leadership group, but in reality we are not part of it yet. Our task is to keep progressing.

      I think the rivalry this season promises to be as intense as ever, and it would be nice if we could knock on the door of the leadership group, annoying them from time to time.

      Question: Do you think you can do it?James Vowles: I think the balance of power in the championship is such that many people can do it. Any racer can easily make a small mistake and immediately lose a few tenths. But I think we have laid a good foundation and we will continue to move forward, which is exactly what I am doing as a team leader.

      Q: Tell us about Carlos: has he already influenced the work of Williams in any way?James Voules: First of all, he has experience working in several teams, and he is well versed in the various elements that make up it. He has also worked with several riders who can be considered potential champions. It is thanks to this that Carlos became the racer he is today.

      He is distinguished by his incredible accuracy in assessing the behavior of the car, he understands very well what is happening in the group of specialists who work with him in the team, and knows how to achieve maximum efficiency from them. When a person knows what perfection is, what victories are, and how to strive for them, these are all his strengths.

      That's also why I wanted him to play for our team starting this year. I am very impressed with how he interacts with our aerodynamics department, with our engineers, who are already becoming like-minded people.

      Question: What can we say about the mood of the team already at this very early stage of cooperation with Carlos?James Voules: Our team had to go through many painful trials, and when I joined Williams a few years ago, it was felt. The atmosphere here is different now. There are a lot of changes for the better, but I would say that for now we are picking the fruits that are hanging on the lowest branches.

      Important reforms are underway at the Grove base, and there are plans to continue this process in the coming years. According to the attitude of our employees, it is felt that everyone is increasing the pace of work and is charged with positive energy. But let's wait for qualifying and the race, and let's have a few more races.…

      Question: Alex Albon said that, judging by the results obtained on the simulator, the car has become significantly faster. When your drivers were testing in Bahrain, it looked like the FW47 was driving more confidently than last year's car.

      Is it possible to say that it is probably even faster than you expected? Maybe these changes are partly related to the transition to a Mercedes suspension?

      James Voules: Let's start with the fact that the progress in working with the car is assessed by a number of parameters, but in general we can say that the FW47 meets our expectations.

      Alex talks about her from a racing driver's point of view, and he really feels like he's driving much more confidently. Formula 1 is a strange business, it doesn't happen here that you use one magic solution and immediately make the car much better.

      In general, the Mercedes rear suspension has contributed to progress to some extent, but in reality it is the result of the work that we have been doing for several years. We are using more advanced tools, more modern systems that allow us to improve the parameters that make up the behavior of the car on the track, we are developing more efficient aerodynamics and improved build quality. We need to talk about all these factors together. All of them affect the quality of the chassis layout.

      Q: Have you seen the new trailer for the F1 movie? What impression did he make on you? After all, you are also involved in one of the episodes that was filmed on the launch field in Abu Dhabi: perhaps you can't wait to see the result?James Voules: I suspect that the footage of me was not included in the film. (laughs) The documentary series Drive to Survive also had a very important effect, changing the perception of Formula 1 by the mass audience. I believe that the new film will open us up to a new, wider audience, and that's why we're all looking forward to its premiere. The filmmakers tried to use cinematography to reliably recreate our sport – I felt this when I took part in this project.

      Q: Last week, Cadillac's bid for the championship was approved, which was so much talked about last year. What can you say about it now?James Voules: Cadillac is a famous brand, a famous brand, and General Motors can bring some elements to our sport that we don't have right now. But what happened has passed, and now we need to move on and prepare to compete with this team on the track.