Williams chief performance Rob Smedley says last weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix showed that the Grove-based team could match the development pace of better funded teams like Mercedes, Ferrari, and Red Bull.

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Valtteri Bottas secured fourth after holding off Kimi Raikkonen and his SF15-T in the closing stages of the race, while team-mate Felipe Massa finished sixth and well clear of the lead Red Bull.

Smedley is especially pleased to see Williams reel in Ferrari at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, a track that does not play to the strengths of its 2015 challenger.

“We’ve pretty much kept pace with Mercedes and arguably moved a little bit closer to Ferrari,” said the British engineer. “We were certainly closer to Ferrari in this race and a little bit further away from Red Bull, again in this race. It’s not a circuit we expected to suit us particularly well so I think it’s been a good result overall.”

Nearly every team brought many car developments to kick off the European leg of the season in Spain, but Williams did not alter its overall package as much as some of its rivals.

Although the British squad kept a low profile about its upgrades, Smedley is adamant Williams can improve its car during the season and reveals there’s more to come from the FW37.

“We brought updates as well you know. There is myth that has been circulating in the paddock for about the last 18 months that Williams are not able to develop the car.”

“We have again proved that the upgrades we’ve brought here, although we did not make a big fanfare about it and just quietly went about our business, trying to make sure they all work, they have been good. The good thing is that we’ve got a lot more coming in the pipeline as well so I’m really positive.”

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