Formula 1: Will a Williams driver even beat one other driver in any race in 2019?

Following a disappointing 2019 Formula 1 season opener, Williams are by far the worst team on the grid. Will either of their two drivers beat any other driver in any race this season?

Williams Martini Racing, which were rebranded as ROKiT Williams Racing over this past offseason, finished the 2018 Formula 1 season in 10th (last) place in the constructor standings, marking their worst finish in the standings in team history, a history that dates back to the 1977 season.

Through the 21-race 2018 season, the team’s two drivers, Lance Stroll and Sergey Sirotkin, combined to score just seven points. Stroll scored six points a result of an eighth place finish and a ninth place finish while Sirotkin scored one point as a result of a 10th place finish.

For a team that have won seven driver championships, a total that ranks in a third place tie on the all-time driver titles list, and nine constructor championships, a total that ranks second on the all-time constructor titles list, the 2018 season was particularly disappointing for them.

But even more disappointing is the fact that the 2018 season may not have been rock-bottom for the Grove-based team, and it may not have even been close.

More from Formula One

Over the offseason, Stroll replaced Mercedes reserve driver Esteban Ocon at Racing Point and Sirotkin left Formula 1. As a result, Williams signed Mercedes junior driver George Russell and Robert Kubica, who had been out of Formula 1 since the 2010 season, as their two drivers for the 2019 season.

The start of the season was nothing short of a complete disaster for the team, and even stellar improvements throughout the season may not be enough to change where they stand compared to the sport’s other nine teams.

While it may seem like a ridiculous question to ask at any point during any season, it needs to be asked for Williams in this case. Will Russell or Kubica finish ahead of any driver not named Russell or Kubica at any point throughout the 2019 season (excluding drivers who are forced to retire from races)?

Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport’s Lewis Hamilton took the pole position for the season opener, the Australian Grand Prix, by recording a track record lap time of 80.486 seconds (147.424 miles per hour) around the 16-turn, 3.296-mile (5.304-kilometer) Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit road course in Albert Park, Melbourne, Australia.

McLaren’s Carlos Sainz Jr. qualified in 18th place for the race by recording a lap time of 83.084 seconds (142.815 miles per hour), which was 2.598 seconds (4.609 miles per hour) slower than Hamilton’s top lap time.

Meanwhile, another 1.276 seconds (2.161 miles per hour) behind Sainz Jr. was Russell, who qualified in 19th place by recording a top lap time of 84.360 seconds (140.654 miles per hour). Kubica recorded a top lap time of 86.067 seconds (137.865 miles per hour, which was 1.707 seconds (2.789 miles per hour) slower than that of Russell to qualify in 20th.

In other words, Williams reached a whole new level not experienced by any of the sport’s other nine teams in the qualifying session for the 2019 season opener.

Low.

The race itself was arguably an even bigger disaster for the team. Russell and Kubica finished in 16th and 17th place, respectively, but only because of the fact that Sainz Jr., Renault’s Daniel Ricciardo and Rich Energy Haas’ Romain Grosjean were forced to retire with various issues.

Of the 17 drivers who finished the race, six finished it on the lead lap. Of the 11 drivers who finished the race but did not finish it on the lead lap, nine finished it one lap off the lead lap. Meanwhile, Russell finished two laps off the lead lap with Kubica finishing one additional lap behind him.

Forget scoring points this season. It is simply not going to happen.

Simply having either one of their drivers finish ahead of any non-Williams driver in any race that this non-Williams driver finishes this season should be Williams’ goal. As sad as it sounds, the team reaching this goal is about as realistic as Mercedes finishing outside of the top three in the constructor standings.

Okay, maybe it’s not that unrealistic, but you get the picture, and it’s not a pretty one for one of the most successful teams in Formula 1 history.

Next. Top 10 Formula 1 drivers of all-time. dark

It would not be shocking in any way to see George Russell and Robert Kubica as the lowest finishing drivers in every single race that they finish throughout the 2019 Formula 1 season. At this point and as sad as it may sound, this is probably the most likely scenario when it comes to their results. This doesn’t appear likely to change in the near future.

Home/Formula One