Williams: Happy to see momentum in the right direction

The team head into the 2021 season under the ownership of Dorilton Capital, a US-based investment firm that bought Williams midway through last season, and will be hoping to move away from the bottom of the constructors' standings.

While the FW43B is only a evolution of last season's car, the team believe they have been able to make progress.

Speaking ahead of the start of testing on Friday morning, Roberts said they had looked to direct their efforts into areas where they would be "most rewarded".

"It is great to be back out in Bahrain for our pre-season test ahead of the 2021 FIA Formula One World Championship," he said. "The team at Grove has worked tirelessly over the winter break to improve our competitiveness and we were all looking forward to seeing our FW43B leave the garage this morning in its fresh livery.

"Due to the regulations, the FW43B has inherent architectural similarities to FW43 and continues to build on the aerodynamic development of the 2020 car, adapted to new regulations for 2021. The team has made a conscientious decision on aerodynamics to reorganise and invest where the efforts will be most rewarded.

"With a unique set of regulations for 2021, we have optimised what is permissible, reconfigured the cooling systems for greater performance and reduced the mass of the car where possible under the constraints of the homologation regulations. Whilst there is still a lot of work to do, we are happy to see momentum in the right direction which has been a welcome boost for all involved."

After impressing throughout 2020 for both Williams and Mercedes, George Russell will also be hoping to have an improved car underneath him so that he can further display his potential.

"The winter has been great, and I was able to enjoy some time off which was needed after such an intense year," he added.

"We have since resumed training and been back in the simulator conducting all of the necessary work ahead of the season. The change of ownership and management is really exciting for Williams and there is a lot of positivity at the factory. The decisions that have been made so far have been encouraging and the mid-to-long term future is in very good hands and will be on an upwards trajectory.

"I am really looking forward to getting going again and I am intrigued to see how we perform as a team. Although there is a lot of carryover from last year's car, I think the aero change will mix things up quite a bit, fingers crossed in our favour. I believe we have made some good steps in the right areas to bring us closer to the midfield, but until we turn a wheel on track we will not know.

"The year ahead is exciting, we have welcomed several new partners to the team, and the fresh livery looks fantastic. It is very futuristic, modern and shows the direction that Williams is going in as a team. Overall, there is a lot to look forward to this year, and I am feeling well prepared for a 23-race calendar."

F2 driver Roy Nissany is in the car on Friday, with Nicholas Latifi and Russell back behind the wheel over the weekend.