Williams hope to find some answers at Sepang after a troublesome start to 2013

Williams Technical Director Mike Coughlan hopes the Malaysian Grand Prix will give some answers as to why their car performed below expectations in Melbourne last weekend.

With Williams preferring to launch their car later than those of rivals at the first Barcelona test, Coughlan suggested they have since pursued the wrong development path. "What we've done is, we've gone down an avenue that hasn't reaped a reward. And now what we've got to do is step back from that. We've got some of the set-ups from last year, aerodynamic themes we did last year and then re-assess it and go again," he said. "The first Barcelona test, when the car first ran, it really was quite good. We haven't taken it forward. If anything, we've taken it backwards. Whereas other teams have taken it forward: Lotus have looked strong all the time, so have Red Bull." However, Coughlan denied that their woes could last for several races and expressed the hope that higher temperatures at Sepang could at least help the car generate more tyre heat. Assessing the weekend to come, he added: "That, for us, is going to be an advantage, going somewhere where maybe the tyres will come to us a little bit quicker. But still I think we have some work to do in terms of car development. "I think we've got something. The car is so similar to last year's car, we've not changed anything fundamentally. Even though the components are new, we haven't changed anything fundamentally. "(But) I think we've got some homework to do yet."