• British Grand Prix

Williams to run blown diffuser at Silverstone

Williams is aiming to maintain its good form from Valencia © Getty Images

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• Race:
• British Grand Prix

• Championship:
• FIA Formula One World Championship

• Drivers:
• Rubens Barrichello
• |
• Nico Hülkenberg

• Teams:
• Williams

Williams is set to debut its version of the blown diffuser during Friday practice for the British Grand Prix.

The blown diffuser feeds gases from the exhaust to the diffuser to improve the downforce generated by the floor of the car. The concept has been used on the Red Bull all season, and in Valencia appeared on the Ferrari, Mercedes and Renault cars. Now Williams, which enjoyed a very strong performance at the European Grand Prix with its conventional exhaust layout, will trial the system on the car at Silverstone.

"The FW32 will have further upgrades for the British Grand Prix, including an exhaust blown diffuser, rear brake duct and front suspension changes," said technical director Sam Michael. "We'll evaluate the exhaust during the practice sessions on Friday and will make a final decision as to whether we race it that night."

Williams driver Nico Hulkenberg said the update was vital for the team in order to keep in touch with the front runners.

"We have another update coming for Silverstone," he said. "Others will probably be doing the same, so we will have to work hard to keep the momentum going and stay in the top ten. It's a massive positive that we continue to have new developments in the pipeline. It's always good to know that everyone in the factory is trying hard to develop the car in order to move forward."

Rubens Barrichello said the team was very confident that the updates would have the desired effect.

"Valencia was a good effort by the team," he said. "It was satisfying to see us move forward and I hope that we continue to do so. To help with that, we have more upgrades coming for Silverstone, which I hope will make the car go faster again. There's a good vibe in the team to get us back to where we should be and I'm proud to be a part of that effort."

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