Williams will not feature stepped nose

09/01/2013

Mat Coch writes:

The 2013 Williams will feature a traditional nose, rather than the stepped design which became a feature of last season, Valtteri Bottas has confirmed.

Stepped noses appeared on cars due to regulation changes surrounding side impact protection for drivers, though amendments made ahead of 2013 allow teams to smooth over the unsightly bumps.

Williams approach was confirmed by Valtteri Bottas, the team's 2013 teammate to Pastor Maldonado. Speaking with Finnish television he confirmed that "the new car is pretty much the same as last year.

"With the new rules, the stepped nose has been straightened. It is the biggest difference in its appearance.

"The new car is a development of last year's car," he added. "There are certain improvements in aerodynamics, we have tried to gain more traction in the corners."

With regulations remaining comparatively stable between 2012 and 2013 teams are expected to developed evolutions of their 2012 car, ahead of the large scale changes due next year when 6-cylinder turbo charged engines are set to be introduced.