Former IndyCar Series driver James Hinchcliffe says Williams finally hitting Formula 1's minimum weight limit will provide the Grove outfit with "free lap time" at this weekend's Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Williams has introduced a heavily updated FW48 in Baku after struggling with an overweight car since the start of the season.
During the F1 Nation podcast, Hinchcliffe discussed the impact that shedding the excess weight will have on overall performance.
"It's free lap time. It requires no set-up changes. It requires no driving ability. It is quite literally like horsepower. It's just free lap time, so it is absolutely vital," Hinchcliffe explained.
"It's absolutely crucial. It's one of the big improvements we've seen from a lot of these other cars that started the season a bit fat. You think about the Red Bull. That one started on the heavy side.
"So, that's going to be a huge relief for the drivers, a huge relief for the engineers. It helps with everything. It helps with brakes, it helps with traction, it helps with tyre degradation, and then just pure lap speed. So, if they're truly there, that in and of itself is just going to be a massive benefit for them."
While the upgrades should in theory help Williams fight higher up the grid, team principal James Vowles tempered expectations ahead of the weekend.
"It's been a tough year, and it will continue to be a tough year to the end," the Briton said during an appearance on The Fast And The Curious podcast.
"There's just no two ways about it. A lot of the mistakes that we made across the winter period will stay with us all the way until the end of this year. And what we're trying to do is put ourselves back above water by the time we get into next year's car.
"There'll be small steps this year, but they won't be enough to put us to even the bare minimum of where I'd like to be, which is scoring points for a weekend.
"That simply is not the reality of where we are today. For next year, though, do I think we'll move forward on the grid? Yes. It's hard to move backwards on the grid. We'll move forward on the grid as a result of it, but it will still be a tough old slog."
