F1: Williams running inquest into loss of form

Williams chief technical officer Pat Symonds is leading an analysis of the team's dramatic drop-off in performance that is compromising its Formula 1 season.

Following a strong start to the year, with both Valtteri Bottas and Felipe Massa scoring points in the opening five races, Williams's form has faded, with the last two grands prix in Austria and Britain yielding just two points.

Symonds' main area of concern surrounds the tires, but he is also demanding the team recapture the performance he feels has been lost overall.

"It's not just about getting the tyres working properly," said Symonds. "We'll do an awful lot of looking back, but we've got to look very deep into what we are doing now, we've got to be very honest with ourselves, and get that performance back.

"We have got to bring performance to the car and we have got to use the car well. The main thing is get on top of the tires, but we need to get the aero up a little bit."

Williams tried three different front wings during the recent Silverstone test, and toyed again with its double-decker rear-wing, which is outside of the current regulations but helps the team assess downforce and balance.

Bottas felt the hoped-for gains were lacking, saying the team only made "small steps."

Symonds has confirmed there will be a new floor on the car for this weekend's Hungarian Grand Prix, with minor updates to then follow after the summer break as the team focuses on 2017 development.

"Force India has made some good aero steps since Barcelona, and we probably haven't kept up with that," said Symonds, whose team is now just 19 points clear of Force India in the constructors' championship. "We have got to bring our new parts along – we have a new floor in Hungary, which is quite good.

"But, we are pretty near the end of aerodynamic development now because the new car needs to be in the wind tunnel. That doesn't mean there won't be more parts coming because they are in the pipeline, and it doesn't stop you working on other areas."

Symonds has no doubt that despite the slump from Williams, and Force India's rise, it will finish fourth in the championship.

"I respect Force India, they are a really good team, but I am confident we will retain fourth place," he said.

Originally on Autosport.com