Feb.18 (GMM) Technical boss Sam Michael says Williams is not yet ready to take on F1's Big Two teams for race wins.

The Grove based outfit's new Toyota-powered FW30 has proved a standout of the 2008 pre-season, but technical director Michael counts Williams out of the hunt for the title.

"We are still far away from McLaren and Ferrari," the Australian is quoted as saying by the website of the Spanish newspaper Diario AS.

Michael, however, admits that the new car is a "good step forward" compared with its predecessor, and predicts a strong season for the British team.

"The most important thing is to continue in this direction," he added.

Michael revealed that he thinks BMW and Renault will also be strong in 2008, but not on the pace of Ferrari and McLaren.