"I’m happy with the way he’s behaving as a team player," said Binotto.

Nico Rosberg was stunned by the starting procedure for the Australian Grand Prix, believing it was the fastest turn-off time of the lights on the start-line gantry he had ever witnessed.

After the unexpected passing last Thursday of Charlie Whiting, F1's long-standing race director, the race's starting procedure in Melbourne was entrusted to new FIA man Michael Masi.

Not only was Rosberg surprised by the short interval between when the five red lights were turned on and then off, the 2016 world champion believes it was a deciding factor in Valtteri Bottas' race win.

"Statistically, that was certainly the fastest turn-off time in years," said Rosberg in his post-race analysis on Youtube.

"Surely many were surprised, and that's the weakness of Lewis."

But Rosberg also commended the man who replaced him at Mercedes in 2017, insisting Bottas had taken his focus and determination to the next level this year.

"Bottas is in combat mode this year," added the German.

"You cannot underestimate the mental side in Formula 1. It's what we saw last year with Sebastian [Vettel].

Addressing Bottas' blindingly fast launch off the line, Rosberg believes it was partly the result of the Finn's diligent approach to the process.

"Valtteri - as I always did - practiced all weekend with his clutch: once, twice, three times, hundreds of times. And Lewis? Not once, or maybe five times maximum.

"The problem for Valtteri is that Lewis is always so strong in qualifying, which will be the biggest hurdle for him., but the chance is there that we will see a real duel."

"I think if Valtteri can sustain his positive mentality, he can become world champion because Lewis always has his period of weakness."

Failing to finish on the lead lap in the season-opening Australian Grand Prix was not the perfect start to year for Williams. But there’s a glimmer of hope of the horizon after the team found a “fundamental” weakness with the FW42 which they are now focusing on resolving…

It’s well known that Williams got off to a bad start in 2019, the iconic British team missing their shakedown and then the first two-and-a-half days of testing following delays with their production schedule.

They arrived in Melbourne with two cars, but the FW42 looked like a handful on track and they were well off the pace across the weekend. George Russell and Robert Kubica got to the finish at Albert Park, but were two and three laps down respectively.

Despite Chief Technical Officer Paddy Lowe taking a leave of absence for personal reasons, the technical team have been working hard at the factory to turn their season around.

Russell says they have found a fundamental problem with the car, that could unlock some good speed, but finding a solution is not the work of a moment.

"There is one fundamental [weakness] which I don't want to discuss publicly," said Russell. "We understand what that is, but it doesn't mean we can wake up on Monday morning and rectify it.

"To change something so fundamental will take months of development, work in the simulator and designers working out how to do it, and that’s what needs to be done at the moment.

"Unfortunately we’re looking at a number of races before we’re going to be able to fight. That is just where we are at the moment.

“Once we’ve solved that fundamental [weakness] there’ll be a big leap, we’ll probably still be at the back of the grid but with a chance to fight. At the moment we don’t really have any hope because we’re too far behind.”

Williams are one of only two teams who failed to score in Australia – McLaren were the other. Their next opportunity will come in Bahrain on March 31.

Mick Schumacher, the son of seven-times world champion Michael, will make his official Formula One debut in a test for Ferrari next week.

The 20-year-old, who signed to the Ferrari academy earlier this year, will drive for the Italian team in Bahrain – on Tuesday 2 April - before testing for Alfa Romeo at the same venue a day later.

Schumacher Jnr, who begins his Formula Two campaign – the feeder championship to F1 – at the Sakhir Circuit later this week, said: “I am obviously more than excited and would like to thank Ferrari for giving me this opportunity.

“I am really looking forward to what I’m sure will be a great experience.

“But for the moment, I am consciously putting all thoughts of the test to one side, because I am also very much looking forward to competing in my first F2 race and would like to focus a hundred per cent on the weekend to come.”

Schumacher Jnr’s participation in next week’s first in-season test will be seen as another major stride to following in his father’s footsteps.

Schumacher won five of his seven world titles racing for Ferrari at the turn of the century. He also won a record 91 grands prix.

The German, however, has not been seen in public since his dreadful skiing accident more than five years ago.

Ferrari also revealed that their young British driver, Callum Ilott, will be handed his F1 debut in a test with Alfa Romeo at Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya in May.

Ferrari team principal, Mattia Binotto said: “We are firm believers in the value of the Ferrari Driver Academy (FDA), as a high-level training programme for talented youngsters and the decision to give Charles Leclerc a race seat with our team is proof of that.

“Mick, who joined the FDA in January, and Callum, who has been with us since 2017, are definitely drivers on their way up and I believe that driving the SF90 in an official setting such as the tests in Bahrain and Barcelona can be very useful at this stage in their career.”

Ross Brawn has spoken about the current situation with engine suppliers and his plans for the future. Ross Brawn admitted that he planned to be more adventurous with engine rule changes for 2021, but has said that he understands why current manufacturers are against it.



It is thought that new regulations were to be brought in to try an attract new engine suppliers. However, current manufacturers argued that nothing should be changed if nobody else is joining for certain.

"I was perhaps a bit more ambitious in terms of the changes that could have been made," F1's managing director of motorsport Ross Brawn told Autosport.

"But when the arguments were presented they were well presented, the models were well presented, and the examples were given.

"I think we will have cheaper, simpler, louder, it's just a question of degree.

"There's a very strong argument that we have four reasonably settled suppliers in F1. Whilst there are people looking at coming in, they weren't as committed, so, therefore, let's consolidate what we have.

"The MGU-H was a big thing. I think if a manufacturer is coming in or not coming in just because it had or hasn't got an MGU-H it seems a bit fickle."

"The engine is a tricky one, more so perhaps than the car you're sensitive to outside suppliers, you're sensitive to engine suppliers," he said.

"We don't want to lose a team, but if we lose a team then hopefully F1 is attractive enough to find replacements.

"If we lose an engine then anyone stepping in has a massive programme to step in and fill their place."

A series of key meetings regarding the future of Formula 1 from 2021 onwards took place on Tuesday in London, with a focus on creating more action in future.

The first meeting was of the Strategy Group which comprises of the FIA, F1, Mercedes, Ferrari, Red Bull, McLaren, Williams and Renault, although the rest of the teams are able to join as observers. That was followed by a meeting of the F1 Commission, also including all teams as well as various F1 partners, sponsors and circuit representatives.

During these meetings, F1’s commercial rights holder Liberty Media unveiled further details of its plans for the sport beyond the end of 2020, when the current commercial agreements with the teams expire.

Those plans include new regulations for cars that are designed to encourage better racing, development of the power unit rules, and a budget cap that could well be introduced on a glide path starting next season.

Liberty is also understood to have outlined its plans for revenue distribution, with a number of teams currently receiving extra payments based on their historical status, ensuring that the bigger teams have been earning more regardless of their on-track performance.

F1 CEO Chase Carey has been keen to keep the content of the presentations and negotiations with the teams out of the public eye, with the official F1 website carrying a short statement that concluded: “Ultimately, F1 wants to create great action and bring the cars closer together, make the drivers the heroes and make the business more sustainable.”

None of the meetings were designed to officially cement the 2021 regulations, as the first opportunity to approve and ratify any comes at the next meeting of the FIA’s World Motor Sport Council (WMSC) on June 14.

Alexander Rossi has accomplished what only a handful of American drivers have ever done: he’s driven in Formula 1. Before he started his IndyCar career, which includes winning the Indy 500 in 2016, Rossi drove in five F1 races for Manor Marussia in 2015 and was an F1 test driver for Caterham and Marussia before that. He is full-time IndyCar now and has no plans to go back to F1 unless Mercedes or Ferrari called, he said, adding that there’s more chance of it snowing in LA than that happening.

He lent his unique perspective to us for a few minutes while visiting LA yesterday ahead of the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach April 12-14.

AW: Your career has been like a dream career: You made it all the way up to Formula 1. Describe what Formula 1 was like when you got there.

AR: I was in an interesting position because I was brought in to do five races at the end of the season for a team that was, for lack of a better word, dying. So it wasn’t your typical, entire season across 21 countries to compete in Formula 1. It wasn’t quite the full experience, if you will. But at the end of the day, I got there, made my Grand Prix debut at Singapore as an American, the first one in over a decade. It was amazing.

For me, in a sense, it’s hard to decide what’s the bigger accomplishment, that day (in Singapore) or winning the 500. Because, as a kid, my goal was to be a Formula 1 driver. I didn’t grow up watching the Indy 500. I’d never been to a 500 until my first one (as a driver) in 2016. My goal had always been F1. So the fact that we accomplished that without the backing of a manufacturer, without family funding, it was just my dad and I busting our ass for 15 years to try and make a dream happen. To be able to do that in such a political business and world was a very proud moment for me and my dad.

AW: When you got there was it everything you felt it would be?

AR: Yeah, yeah, sure. Like I said, it was limited. I only got to do five races. I would have loved to do more. But yeah, it was the ultimate. It still is. As much as I wouldn’t want to go back because I feel like I have a home in IndyCar, and I’m very happy with my career and where I see my future going in the sport; I still have fond memories of F1. And I’m still very glad I had the opportunity to do it. Regardless of the fact that I wouldn’t want to go back.

AW: Really? So if the phone rang ...

AR: It would have to be Mercedes or Ferrari. I think we have a better chance of snow falling right now than that happening. Other than that scenario, no, I wouldn’t go back.

AW: Scott Speed was the last American before you to drive in F1. Do you know him?

AR: I know Scott pretty well. He was actually a pseudo-teammate of mine when he was doing the Global Rallycross championship with Andretti. But yeah, I’ve known Scott since I was a kid. I was teammates with his brother Alex, and his dad Mike introduced me in go-karts, so I’ve known him since I was 10 years old.

AW: He had a very different experience in F1. You can read all the reports as he was driving (for Toro Rosso), and they were all rosy until suddenly they were not. It sounded like a Shakespearean drama over there. It didn’t end well.

AR: It’s a political shitstorm, to be honest. And it’s ... there’s a lot of backstabbing. It’s not a friendly environment. It’s very much a cutthroat business. And people ... there’s not a lot of loyalty. And it’s kind of just the way that sport is. The way European motorsports is in general. And you have to know that going in. I mean, it’s not like a surprise. I think we go in with this vision of it being, just a very, what’s the correct word? Glamorous? Type of lifestyle. And I think it is that way for, like, three guys, four guys, right? But for the other 16, it’s not. You’re always pitted against your teammate and you’re trying to find ways to always push yourself ahead of him. It’s a very different mentality to American motorsports.

AW: American motorsports is more friendly? More down-home?

AR: Oh, yeah. It’s more, you’re here because you love the sport. Yes, team owners want to make money. Yes, drivers want to make money. But that’s not the sole driving factor. It’s a consideration. In F1, it’s all about cash. Nothing else matters.

AW: And before Scott Speed, we had Michael Andretti, who podiumed ... and before that Eddie Cheever, who had a fairly long and successful F1 career ... so what does it take to get Americans back in F1? Can we do it? Do we have to just ship 'em over there and raise them as little karters in the streets of Vallelunga?

AR: Pretty much, man. Like, I went over there when I was 17 and I knew, me and my family knew that that was what was necessary. You’re not going to be able to do anything in America that paves your way to Europe. Sebastian Bourdais was a very unique example. He’s not American, but I’m saying you’re not going to win IndyCar championships or become an IndyCar success story and then get hired by F1. That’s not how it works. You have to go through their ranks, prove yourself through their systems, develop relationships with the correct people, prove your commitment to European racing and the European lifestyle and their way of doing things -- basically, become European. And for obvious reasons, there’s not a lot of American kids and families that are going to be willing to do that. They’re not going to move from their home in Florida to Italy when their kid’s 15 years old. It’s not realistic. So at the end of the day, I don’t think there’s anything you can do other than go down a similar route that I did and race there when you’re 17 out of high school, start in GP3 and try to be lucky.

AW: So there’s nothing we can do to get Americans in F1 short of going to the local kart track, scoop up a bunch of American kids and ...

AR: I think that’s kidnapping.

AW: Yeah ... I suppose it would be, wouldn’t it? OK. So you’re happy with IndyCar?

AR: I’m doing things in addition to IndyCar, like the sports car stuff with Acura Team Penske (Daytona, Sebring, Road Atlanta). I did the Baja 1000 last year ... I’ll do other things, but I don’t have any interest in going back to Europe.

Williams rookie George Russell was only able to see the start lights on his Formula 1 debut by looking at a reflection from windows by the side of the track.

The FIA is working on a solution after complaints following the Australian Grand Prix that the higher 2019 rear wings blocked some drivers' view of the start lights.

Russell, who started at the back of the grid in Melbourne, said it caused him to have a "terrible" start.

"I pulled up onto the grid, looked up and realised I couldn't see anything and I kind of shat my pants," he admitted.

"I was looking all around and I ended up seeing the lights through the reflection of the Paddock Club [F1 hospitality] windows.

"I was sat looking, with my head at a 45-degree angle and my start was terrible because I was looking around for a couple of seconds, where to go, then realised it was the fifth light and realised my hand was in the wrong position."

Russell's team-mate Robert Kubica was among those to complainabout the view of the gantry in Melbourne.

The wings are 70mm taller, partly influenced by a push to lift the rear wing endplates from blocking what drivers could see in their rear view mirrors, and 100mm wider as part of the aerodynamic changes made to help improve overtaking.

It is not known what solution will be implemented for this weekend's Bahrain race, although one mooted answer was an extra set of lights halfway down the grid.

Russell said he was not sure if it would be a problem everywhere, although start lights are placed at a standard height at each circuit.

"At the back of the grid [in Melbourne] the track dips down very slightly so the rear wing of the car ahead would seem higher," he said.

"I'm not sure if it'll be an issue at all tracks, but we'll find out on Sunday and we'll probably be in a similar sort of position [at the back of the grid] and we'll see."

The FIA has opted to split the senior Formula 1 race official roles held by the late Charlie Whiting for this weekend's Bahrain Grand Prix.

As for the season-opening race in Australia, where Whiting's shock death on the eve of the weekend prompted a late reshuffle, Michael Masi will be the race director in Bahrain.

Masi has also been named the FIA safety delegate for the event, however, unlike in Australia, he will not be the permanent race starter.

That role will be performed by Christian Bryll, the F1 event logistics manager.

Colin Haywood, the race control systems manager, will act as Masi's deputy race director.

The FIA is considering its longer-term plan to replace Whiting, who held all three positions for many years.

He was also a prominent figure away from race weekends, working on many of the FIA's commissions.

The FIA is expected to split Whiting's various responsibilities amongst multiple personnel.

Williams is still short on spare parts and is set for a difficult weekend at the Bahrain Grand Prix, according to Robert Kubica.

Delays with the new car meant Williams failed to make the start of pre-season testing, and the FW42 proved to be uncompetitive when it ran. Kubica complained of fatigued parts toward the end of the second test, and after being comfortably slowest at the season-opening race in Melbourne he admits things are not looking any better in Bahrain.

“Realistically we are facing not an easy weekend, again, knowing difficulties we had in Australia,” Kubica said. “It’s true that the Bahrain track is different configuration, different specification, but not from one week to the other will there be miracles. I think it will be a difficult one, but nevertheless it is still important to try and do our best with what we have.

“Coming to a new weekend it’s not an easy situation also from driver point of view because we will be limited with spare arts and everything. Looking what happened to me in Australia, on Friday in FP1 going onto the curb I got a damaged floor and we didn’t have bits to replace it, and it affected us probably all weekend.

“You have to have a safe approach, but still as I said we have to try and do my best, make sure I’m doing my best. What I learned in Australia … hopefully we’ll have a smoother weekend than I did have in Australia.

“I think everybody here and in the factory is trying to give us the best possible car to drive but the delays we have in Barcelona you will not fix it in one week. Unfortunately we are paying the bill of what happened one, two months ago.”

With Williams already over a second off the pace of the rest of the midfield, Kubica says having to use old parts in Bahrain will mean the car is not at its full potential.

“As I said the team is trying to get us I think the best car we can have to drive, but on the other hand I think in a perfect world you will have fresher parts starting a weekend, and having some spare parts, in a good state. Because you know it is already very difficult to drive — we are lacking grip. If we are having the parts not at 100% we are limiting ourselves as well.”

Daniel Ricciardo will use a new Renault chassis for the Bahrain Grand Prix weekend, replacing the one he drove in Australia as a precautionary measure.

Ricciardo endured a nightmare home race in Australia after losing his front wing on the opening lap, having ventured onto the grass off the start line. He then retired after 28 laps as a precaution from 16th position.
Ensuring that no residual damage from the incident in Melbourne has been carried over, Ricciardo gets a completely new chassis, while his old one will be retained as a spare.
"I guess it was from the impact at the start," Ricciardo said in Bahrain. "They don’t know 100 percent if it was from that – that is the assumption for now.
"But to play it safe we are changing chassis."
In this main photo from Giorgio Piola, FIA Technical Delegate Jo Bauer is scanning Ricciardo’s new chassis to ensure it is compliant with the regulations.

Within the chassis, there are a number of small chips which hold information such as test data and other such parameters, which the technical delegate must check before the car is allowed to take to the circuit. Piola’s drawing below (a 2001 Williams-BMW) shows where the chips are located.
Having just missed out on Q3 in Australia, Renault has returned for the second round with a number of updates at the rear of the car aimed at overturning its early deficit to the top three teams, along with midfield rivals Haas.

Giorgio Piola’s images show the extent of the changes made for Bahrain, a circuit with different characteristics compared to the Albert Park venue which opened the season.

The rear wing mainplane has been changed, now curving upwards at the outboard edges to create a shallow ‘spoon’ section in the middle.

In Australia (left), this element was perfectly straight, but has been altered to better suit the collection of long straights on the Sakhir circuit.

Doing so trims off a little bit of overall downforce, but also cuts drag thanks to the reduced frontal area of the car. This also changes the shape of the vortices shed from the rear wing, closing them up to minimise the drag produced by the wake turbulence.

The team has also dispensed with the T-wing and monkey seat placed at the rear of the car, again removing small downforce-generating pieces to cut drag.

Just months after leaving F1 as a race driver, Fernando Alonso will find himself back behind the wheel of contemporary machinery when he tests for McLaren during the two-day in-season test in Bahrain.

The Spanish double world champion was named as a McLaren Racing ambassador during pre-season testing, with the team confirming then that he would drive at selected F1 tests during the year.

And they have wasted no time getting him in the car, with the news he will drive on both days of the Bahrain test, which takes place on Tuesday and Wednesday next week.

He will be driving the MCL34, but his programme will be dictated by Pirelli, as the running is part of McLaren’s duties to support the Italian company’s tyre development.

Alonso will complete a full day on Tuesday and split running with Carlos Sainz on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, Sainz and Lando Norris will split the running for McLaren’s usual test programme with Norris getting a full day in the car the day before.

As Norris will have not completed more than two Grands Prix before the test, his one-and-a-half days running will count towards the two days teams must allocate to running a young driver.

It means McLaren only need to dedicate half a day of the post-Spanish Grand Prix test to a young driver, allowing Sainz and Norris to split the remaining time between them.

The 2019 campaign has been a sobering one for Williams, but in a bid to transform their fortunes, the iconic British team have tempted co-founder Sir Patrick Head to return to Grove to support the engineering team in a consultancy capacity…

Head has legendary status within the team, so his return is something of a coup. Having founded the team with owner Sir Frank Williams in 1976, the Briton - who remains a shareholder - was the pioneering spearhead of the squad's design department.

As both Technical Director and later Director of Engineering he helped guide the team to seven drivers’ championships and nine constructors' titles before stepping away from the outfit in 2011.

Since then, Williams have enjoyed mixed fortunes, securing just one Grand Prix win but two third-place finishes in the constructors’ championship. Currently, they lie last in the standings, having finished in that position last year, and have a car that is well off the pace.

With their Chief Technical Officer Paddy Lowe having taken a leave of absence for personal reasons, Head’s return in this capacity, even if it’s only short-term, offers stability.

Williams told Formula1.com in a statement: “We can confirm that Sir Patrick Head is currently offering some support to our engineering team on a short-term consultancy basis.”

Lawrence Barretto, Senior Writer F1.com says:

“This is a huge statement of intent for Williams, who have endured a miserable start to the season. Last year was painful enough, but to miss their shakedown as well as two-and-a-half days of testing and then see that the car is well off the pace was brutal.

"Aside from Sir Frank Williams himself, there is no one who knows Williams, and understands them, better. He is obviously still a shareholder, so has always had an active interest in the team over the years. He regularly visits Grove, too, so drafting him in at a time when Williams needs stability is a strong move.

"There will be great respect for him within Grove and while the staff remain motivated and loyal to the team, his arrival will certainly help add an extra boost as well as give them clear direction."

Plan for a switch to a four-session Formula 1 qualifying format in 2020 remain on the table after the idea was discussed in the Strategy Group meeting earlier this week.

The four-session format, which originally emerged from research conducted by the F1 organisation, has been discussed extensively by both the Strategy Group and the Sporting Working Group – which frames sporting regulations – over the past six months.
The latest debate did not lead to a vote or a firm conclusion, but sources suggest that the idea is gathering momentum and is likely to be agreed in some form.

The new format would see four cars eliminated after Q1, Q2 and Q3, leaving eight to contest Q4.

The hope is that it would create a little extra uncertainty as the top drivers will have to complete three perfect sessions in order to get through to the deciding round.
The discussion focuses on how many tyres drivers will have to use to get through all the sessions, with Pirelli reluctant to have to provide any extra sets, and also crucially what tyre the Q4 qualifiers will be obliged to start on.

One possibility is that the top eight start on the tyres which they used in the final pole session, rather than in the penultimate session, which is the case at the moment.

In theory this would force them to qualify and start on the softest available tyre as they fight for pole, leaving everyone else with a free choice.

At the moment the top teams have such an advantage that they often use the harder and more favourable race tyre to get through Q2.

The hope is that by forcing the quick drivers to start on the more fragile 'qualifying' tyre, those starting behind would be better able to make a race of it.

However, one team principal told Motorsport.com that being on the right starting tyre is now so crucial that those battling for pole in the crucial last session may routinely end up doing so on the harder tyre anyway, in order to not to compromise their races.

Teams are understood to be running simulations of how they would run their qualifying sessions under such rules, and their feedback will be considered next time the idea is discussed.

The thinking behind the new format was explained by the late F1 race director Charlie Whiting last year.

"It's more something that's come from F1," he noted. "They've been doing a lot of research among fans, and they feel this is one of the things that the fans would like.

"Slightly shorter [sessions], slightly shorter time between them, four go out in Q1, four, four, leaving eight. I personally think it's quite a nice idea, but that's not my decision."

Robert Kubica says he is driving a "completely different car" compared to Williams Formula 1 team-mate George Russell, despite them running ostensibly identical set-ups.

Kubica, who was a second slower than Russell in second practice for this weekend's Bahrain Grand Prix, was at a loss to understand why the data indicated that the cars have different aerodynamic characteristics.

He has ruled out floor damage, which was believed to have cost him performance in Melbourne, as the cause.

"At least we understood that in Australia I ran a different set-up than George and we could clearly see the different characteristics in the cars," Kubica explained.

"Here we started with the same set-up and the characteristic is still different.

"I thought in Australia that it was maybe caused by some damage to the floor, and maybe a different set-up, but at least after the first session here we got an answer.

"It's clear that we are driving two different cars with the same set-up, so that is something we need to understand.

"It's quite obvious on the data. So now we need to try and find the reason."

Kubica had previously thought that floor damage in Melbourne that could not be adequately repaired due to a spares shortage had been his major issue in Australia.

"I had some doubt after Australia, honestly I thought it was caused by floor damage," he added.

"The floor is in a good state here, and still, though we are using the same baseline set-up as the other car, we have different characteristics. It is quite significant.

"Maybe it is something within the aero which is upsetting a lot the handling of the car and the general grip of the car."

He noted that the car behaviour was making it hard for him to drive on the limit.

"It's looking strange, to be honest, and it's putting me in a very difficult position to drive the car," Kubica said.

"Additionally, if I try to follow it up with some balance shift I have to reduce the grip a lot and the potential of the car.

"Neither way is good. I make it more drivable, I am slow. I make it, let's say, as it should be and it's undrivable. It's a very, very difficult situation.

"I just hope that we will be able to solve it and if we are able to solve it will probably be the first time I am driving the car with better potential.

"It's matching my feelings, and it's clearly visible on the data. There has to be a reason, nothing happens without a reason, so we just have to have a deep think."

Kubica remained optimistic about there being some potential to improve the car.

"If we are able to fix it and find those normal characteristics then the feeling will improve and the operating window will get bigger," he said.

Russell had some sympathy for his struggling team-mate.

"I know in Australia we certainly managed to optimise better than what he did," said the Formula 2 champion.

"And when was saw the videos, my car looked nicer to drive than his car. He's quite a bit off the pace at the moment and I know he's not off pace by that far."

This week's test will be a key moment for Williams.

That is the view of Robert Kubica, who is really struggling with the British team on his return to F1 after an eight year injury layoff.

"From the beginning I have been struggling to keep the car on the track rather than actually race," the Pole told Eleven Sports after the race in Bahrain.

Kubica has complained all weekend about not enjoying the same car behaviour as that of his young teammate, George Russell.

"Understanding why the cars are behaving differently must be our priority, because at the moment we do not know the reason," he said.

"Ensuring that both cars work in the same way is a fundamental issue, otherwise we are talking about a complete lottery," added Kubica.

And so Kubica said this week's post-GP tests in Bahrain are crucial for Williams.

"We're looking forward to the test, because at the moment we're not racing, we're battling," he said.

Russell agrees, but he hit back at the perception that it is only Kubica's car that is wrong.

"It's not that the characteristics of Robert's car are bad and mine are good," said the Briton. "It's just that they're different.

"When we look at the data, you could deduce that we are using a completely different level of downforce, but that is not the case," Russell added.

"The inconsistency is not huge, but it should not happen at all."

MANAMA, Bahrain -- Ferrari team radio messages, which were not broadcast during the race, have revealed Charles Leclerc ignored orders to remain behind teammate Sebastian Vettel for two laps at the Bahrain Grand Prix.

Leclerc finished third after engine trouble in the closing stages of the race, but took the lead from Vettel on lap six with an overtaking move at Turn 1. Team radio on the lap prior to the overtake revealed his engineer asked him to remain behind his teammate for two laps.

"I'm quicker guys," Leclerc said.

His engineer responded: "Copy. Stay there for two laps. Stay there for two laps."

Vettel appeared to be struggling with the handling of his Ferrari prior to the overtake, and got a worse exit than his teammate from the final corner on lap five. Combined with a DRS advantage and a head wind into Turn 1, Leclerc was able to pass his teammate on the outside before holding him off on the inside of Turn 2.

Asked about the radio exchange after the race, Leclerc said: "I was just letting them know [I was quicker]. Then I think I had an answer, saying to me 'OK, stay like this for two laps' but then on the next straight I had the opportunity to go for it, so I went for it and it was a successful pass and then I was just quicker, so then I did my race."

The exchange in Bahrain follows a radio call at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix when Leclerc was told to hold position behind Vettel. Ferrari defended that team order and Vettel said ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix that it had been overplayed in the media.

After being criticised for not favouring Vettel in a battle with teammate Kimi Raikkonen at last year's Italian Grand Prix, Ferrari has been open about its priorities in 2019. Ahead of the season, team principal Mattia Binotto said Vettel would be given priority in 50/50 situations, but that the two drivers were still free to race.

Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff, who is no stranger to managing drivers and issuing team orders at his own team, expects the situation at Ferrari to cause his rivals headaches as the season progresses.

"You can see that already," he said. "I don't know if I see all the calls but there was one call which said, 'stay behind for the next two laps,' so I'm really looking forward to seeing how that pans out. I was there many years ago [with Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg]."