WATCH: Williams first to hit the track at pre-season testing

Twelve months on from a nightmare winter test for Williams, the team made a bold statement by making sure that their FW43 was the first car out on track when the lights went green for the start of 2020 pre-season testing at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on Wednesday.

2019 saw Williams fail to participate in the first two days of pre-season testing, as the team suffered delays in the build to the FW42, before going on to finish the season in last place, having scored just a single point. But at the launch of the FW43, Deputy Team Principal Claire Williams said the team were committed to reversing their fortunes this season.

“This year marks a fresh start for the team,” she said. “We have spent time addressing our areas of weakness and have ensured that we have the right people, structures, procedures and resource in place to deliver competitive race cars.

READ MORE: Enjoy live coverage of F1 Pre-season Testing 2020 on our blog

“We are all committed to re-building Williams and returning the team to competitiveness. As such, our 2020 campaign is about making progress. The fighting spirit is still very much alive, and this year, everyone will continue that fight until we get back to where we want to be.”

Watch George Russell scoring an important psychological victory for Williams by winning the drag race to get out on track first at Barcelona in the video above.