Car features with Valtteri: Part 1 of 5 - DRS

A five part series takes us through the features that make up an F1 car, including areas that you don't normally get to see. Valtteri Bottas takes a closer look at each of them, describing how they work and how a driver utilises them during a Formula One race. In this feature, Valtteri talks to us about the DRS. Still to come, KERS, engine, seat and the steering wheel. Stay tuned for more!

About Williams
Williams is a leading Formula One team and advanced engineering company. Formed in 1977 by Frank Williams and Patrick Head, the Williams F1 Team has secured 16 FIA Formula One World Championship titles in the past thirty five years. Nine of these titles have been won in the Constructors' Championship, with the remaining seven titles being Drivers' Championships won with Alan Jones, Keke Rosberg, Nelson Piquet, Nigel Mansell, Alain Prost, Damon Hill and Jacques Villeneuve.
Today Williams employs over 500 personnel at a 40ha technology campus based in the heart of the UK's Motorsport Valley in rural Oxfordshire.
The company's core competencies are the design and manufacture of Formula One race cars, and the deployment of this expertise in running the team's entries into the Grands Prix each season. Williams Advanced Engineering was established in 2008 and takes technology originally developed for Formula One and adapts for a range of commercial applications. This includes the development of high-power composite flywheel energy storage systems, commercial applications of the Group's motorsport simulation technology, the design and manufacture of high performance vehicles, and engineering consulting and systems integration services.
Williams Grand Prix Holdings PLC is the holding company of the Williams group of companies which includes Williams Advanced Engineering and Williams Hybrid Power. The company has also established the Williams Technology Centre in Qatar. Williams has grown into a significant international business since its inception in 1977 and its achievements earned its founder Frank Williams, a knighthood in the 1999 New Year's Honours List to augment France's highest decoration, the legion d'Honneur. Williams has also been awarded two Queen's Awards for Export Achievement and is today recognised as one of the most successful brands in global sport. For more information, see www.williamsf1.com.
About Pastor Maldonado
Pastor began his single-seater racing career in 2003 in the Italian Formula Renault Series. The following year he became the series champion with eight wins and gained his first taste of Formula One machinery with Minardi. Pastor then finished third in the Formula Renault 3.5 Series in 2006 with three wins and six podiums. He graduated to GP2 the following year where he raced until 2010, claiming the title with 10 wins. He made his F1 debut when he joined Williams F1 for the 2011 season, picking up his maiden victory at the 2012 Spanish Grand Prix. 2013 will be his third season with the Williams F1 Team.

About Valtteri Bottas
After winning three prestigious kart titles in 2006, Valtteri moved into single-seaters, winning the 2008 Formula Renault Eurocup and the 2008 Formula Renault Northern European Cup. In June 2009 he won the Masters of Formula 3 at Zandvoort, a title he won again in 2010 and he remains the only driver ever to have won the title twice. Valtteri raced in F3 in 2010, securing two victories en route to third place in the championship. He joined Williams F1 that year as test driver, continuing this role into 2011 when he also won the GP3 Series at the first attempt. In 2012 Valtteri became the team's Official Reserve Driver and 2013 will see him progress to a race seat with the Williams F1 Team.

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