Massa wants new nose 'as soon as possible'

Mar.7 (GMM) Felipe Massa has confirmed that Williams is hoping to get a new nose and front wing up and running as soon as possible.

With the British camp's current short nose strongly resembling the pioneering version of 2015, technical boss Pat Symonds hinted that the plan is to introduce an even more aggressive version within the first few races of 2016.

Brazilian driver Massa confirmed that more changes are coming in Australia.

"Changes in the bodywork - the rear - we should use in Australia, plus a few (other) small details," he told Globo Esporte.

"An interesting change is the front wing, but we still need to pass the crash test to make sure we can use it. So hopefully we can do that as soon as possible because it is good for the car," Massa added.

Despite not having the third-biggest budget, Mercedes-powered Williams finished the 2014 and 2015 seasons third overall.

Massa identifies the aerodynamics as the area with the most room for improvement.

"We have improved, but we still can improve more," he said.

"The car we have now has more downforce, but we did not expect it to still be the fastest on the straight. This shows that there is still work for us to do to improve the car with downforce," added Massa.

As for a prediction of the pecking order for Melbourne, he revealed: "Well, if I had to make a bet, I would put Mercedes in front of Ferrari.

"Then I think we have a great chance to be third. Of course it is always difficult to be sure, but anyway it would already be a positive result even if definitely we want more."