The Williams drivers have suggested the first signs of progress were noticeable with the FW42 during Chinese Grand Prix practice on Friday.
Robert Kubica and George Russell both remained firmly planted to the back of the grid in Shanghai with the gap to the rest of the field still over a second over a single lap.
However, after all the problems that have been seen during the first two races, there is a feeling that a platform is forming from which to build.
“The car feels a bit different to [the] last two weekends, so that’s a good sign,” Kubica told the media back in the paddock.
“Now we have to see the data, what to do, as the balance is quite different to the previous two events.”
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Asked in what way, the Pole continued: “We just did some changes just to understand and it’s not that we have some improvement.
“It’s just something we changed in the characteristics of the car and it seems like it’s responding differently.
“Of course on this track, you have quite a lot of understeer but understeer is kind of a killer here, so we have to wait and see.”
Teammate Russell was actually a tenth behind Kubica in a rare moment for this season, but the Briton too saw reasons for optimism.
“I think there were a few positives,” Russell added. “The long-run pace was fairly decent compared to Racing Point.
“We definitely as a team seem closer, so again that’s positive and all going in the right direction.”
That’s not to say the Mercedes junior was completely satisfied though.
“We’ve got a couple of little new bits and everybody is understanding the car, but I think we probably didn’t optimise it as much as everybody else in the previous two races,” Russell noted.
“So I think we are just getting more out of it.”
Kubica too concluded but warning Friday didn’t represent a turning point for Williams.
“If we haven’t done anything to turn it around in the last two months, there’ll be nothing happening in 12 hours,” he said.
