Team Preview: Williams

2015 Drivers:

19: Felipe Massa (2014 finish 7th 134 points)

77: Valtteri Bottas (2014 finish 4th 186 points)

2014 Constructors' Championship 3rd (320 points)

2015 chassis: Williams FW37

Williams was by far the biggest surprise of the 2014 season by finishing 3rd in the Constructors' Championship which was its highest finish since finishing 2nd in 2003. Williams made a smart decision by switching from Renault to Mercedes engines as Formula 1 entered the new turbo era. Williams will be looking to build on its success from last year and compete for a championship this year.

Valtteri Bottas showed last year that he looks to be a future star in Formula 1 by finishing on the podium 6 times and finishing 4th in the championship ahead of Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso. Felipe Massa was also a surprise for Williams as he revitalized his career after being let go by Ferrari by finishing with 3 podiums and a 7th place finish in the championship. With this driver lineup headed into 2015, Williams looks like a strong bet to be competing near the front.

Williams also seemed to get stronger as the 2014 season went on and by the end of the year as they were starting to catch Mercedes in pace and finishing on the podium on a more regular basis. Williams was also the only team last year besides Mercedes to get a pole position. Williams should be an interesting team to watch as the season goes on especially on the low downforce tracks such as Monza and Spa as they can use the powerful Mercedes engine. With a better package this year, Williams should be able to achieve the only thing they didn't last year which was a win.

Williams had what appeared to be a successful preseason by spending many days near the top of the timesheets and also getting a decent amount of miles in. The drivers also sound positive about the car which is always a good sign. Williams still seems to be lacking a bit of pace compared to Mercedes but should definitely be among the contenders for best of the rest. However, things can always change as the season develops.

Prediction: I expect Williams will build on a successful 2014 season and will be the main challenger to Mercedes this year. However, I do not think Williams will have the consistent pace to be able to compete for the championship. Based on this, I expect Williams to have a strong 2nd place finish in the Constructors' Championship while take a few wins throughout the season.

How do you think Williams will fare over the 2015 season? Do you think they will be contenders for a championship this year or do you think last year was a fluke and they will be in the midfield? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below.