McLaren – Lots Of Questions

Mutterings of McLaren Looking at an alternative engine supplier, a pre-season testing which saw the car breaking down on circuit and a discontented looking Fernando Alonso at the press conference for the Australian Grand Prix.

Is this the preparation that McLaren, an eight time Constructors’ champion needs before the start of the season?

The obvious answer is ‘of course not’.

This then moves onto the second question. Is the Honda power unit the way forward for the team?

The answer to that question surfaced with rumours of McLaren sounding out Mercedes as a potential engine supplier.

With the future of Stoffel Vandoorne and a double world champion in Fernando Alonso leading the team into the new season, plus the razzamatazz and promotional work that was the unveiling of the new car, the 2017 pre-season started with hopes and dreams of past honours that hung like a ghost around the factory.

Can McLaren be competitive this season? – There is a third question.

On the face of it, no they won’t. It appears that with the problems they have faced during testing those worries are not going to go away. Eric Boullier has been bullish in his interviews and has at times played the cliché ridden, party line of saying that with any new regulations there needs to be a certain amount of time to settle in.

But how long does this become an excuse? – A fourth question.

It would be positive to think that by now the gremlins were laid to rest and the problems fixed. A book full of excuses and deflective PR has been the story of McLaren’s pre-season.

Is the Honda-McLaren partnership doomed for failure? – A fifth question.

I sat and watched Fernando Alonso in the press conference today and his demeanour repeated that of a man who infamously shouted down the radio “GP2! GP2!”

Does he have the hunger this year? – A sixth question.

We have not heard much from the future of F1, the future of McLaren. Stoffel Vandoorne has been conspicuous in his absence from making any kind of quotes about the team, the power unit and the aspirations for the forthcoming season. The new man coming in, wanting to do the right thing and a double champion, presumably coming within the last two years of his career in Formula One, not wishing to sit on the fence any longer.

Cast this thought across your mind for a moment.

A McLaren car battling at the back of the grid, not getting beyond Q1 and having major reliability problems through the course of the season.

That, as a McLaren fan, is not something I wish for but the reality is that this is something which could possibly become reality. I haven’t seen any hunger or determination in the eyes of Alonso since the tests began. At the launch of the new car it was different. He was smiling, he cracked jokes and he looked like a man who was hungry for the season ahead. That has now disappeared over recent weeks.

Will McLaren dump Honda for another engine supplier? – A seventh question.

It would not be construed as a bad move for a team who haven’t seen one of their drivers win a world championship since 2008. Run that year through your mind again. 2008 – nine years since a McLaren driver won a championship.

They are not one of the teams running at the front any longer.

Zak Brown has gone on record as saying this is not going to be a quick fix.

How long is too long? – An eighth question.

It is now as I sit here typing this article I realise there are far too many questions than answers and heading into the new season it pains me to say it, but I just don’t think McLaren are anywhere near ready for being competitive. I also believe that if these problems are not sorted in pretty quick time, Fernando Alonso will walk away. A spare seat and a man like Jenson Button waiting in the wings.

Who would want to step into this cauldron of the unknown? – A ninth question.

Can McLaren really work with Honda? – A tenth question.

This weekend we will find out how far they have pushed on, what the team have done to rectify the problems they faced in testing and what they can possibly do to make this season less painful than it already is, before it has started.

Is a Mercedes engine the answer? – An eleventh question.

Is Ferrari an alternative solution? – A twelfth question.

All these answers and more will become clear soon.

Will they be the right answers? – The final question.

Neil Simmons

Twitter: @world_racing

23rd March 20173rd July 2017

Mercedes far from favourites in Melbourne

Circuit de Barcelona Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain.
Thursday 09 March 2017.
World Copyright: Glenn Dunbar/LAT Images
ref: Digital Image _31I6887

When Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas enter the cockpits of their new Mercedes W08s in Melbourne this week, they will, for perhaps the first time in many years, be piloting the Silver Arrows into the unknown.

After three consecutive years of domination from Mercedes, much was made of the chance the 2017 regulations revamp would bring for the German marque to be, if not entirely overhauled, then at least kept honest by the likes of Ferrari and Red Bull.

And whilst it’s clear the team at Brackley have produced no slouch with their new challenger, the signs from testing do appear to be positive for those wanting something other than a season of Mercedes-led processions.

The prodigious speed shown by Ferrari in Barcelona will be a particularly large elephant in the Mercedes garage this weekend. With the test-topping times set by Räikkönen and Vettel still rattling around the paddock consciousness, one could hardly blame Mercedes for having a few flashbacks to last year’s Australian Grand Prix—when both Ferraris breezed past the Silver Arrows at the start, and might have gone on to win had it not been for a strategy blunder allowing Rosberg and Hamilton back in front.

And as if Ferrari’s pace weren’t enough of a concern, the Scuderia may also have another advantage over Mercedes in the handling of its car. Many observed from testing that not only was the SF70-H a potential pacesetter, it also appeared top of the class in terms of drivability; by comparison, the Mercedes W08 seemingly required much more hustling around the lap than its predecessors, and when speaking to Motorsport.com Hamilton suggested the complexity of its aerodynamic package made it difficult to get the car “into a good window”.

If that is indeed the case, Mercedes could well struggle in these early races to unleash its full potential against Ferrari—a problem further compounded by the time it will take to fully integrate both Valtteri Bottas and James Allison into its development process.

It’s undoubtable that Mercedes will continue to be a race-winning and title-contending team this season. But as for this weekend’s Australian Grand Prix, they may just have to settle for second-best.

James Matthews, Editor-at-Large

23rd March 20173rd July 2017

Haas – Season Preview

MELBOURNE (AUSTRALIA) – 19/03/2016
© FOTO STUDIO COLOMBO PER PIRELLI MEDIA (© COPYRIGHT FREE)

Haas F1 were the last team of the 2017 preseason to reveal their new car; the VF 17 challenger. In it’s first year Haas F1 became the first American constructor to win points in its F1 debut and first constructor overall since Toyota in 2002 to score points on debut. Romain Grosjean made a 6th place finish in Australia and team best 5th in Bahrain to exceed the Carolina based outfits expectations early season but saw only three points finishes the rest of the season.

Difficulty with Brembo brakes and operational issues led to only one point in the second half of the season. Race strategist Ruth Buscombe was also snagged by Sauber and went mysteriously absent halfway through the season which hurt the team as well. Despite this, Grosjean’s early points were enough to finish the team 8th in the Constructors Championship ahead of Sauber, Mannor and even French giant Renault.

Manor gone from this year’s grid, the team should be clear of a struggling Sauber, but should want to take another step forward in the championship which will put them head to head with a number of likely foes who had impressive pre-seasons and R&D such as Renault, Toro Rosso and with their woeful testing in Barcelona, McLaren as well. Is the Haas VF 17 a car that can challenge in the midfield?

Drivers

Romain Grosjean

Haas kept its French driver Romain Grosjean who joined the team ahead of the the 2016 season. He scored all 29 of their points gaining with a 5th place in Bahrain. Grosjean is a strong driver and with seniority could be considered the ‘#1’ in the team.

Kevin Magnussen

Kevin Magnussen left Renault under somewhat of a cloud citing frustration at a “lack of commitment” though the French manufacturer was also not happy with his performance. Nonetheless, Magnussen should be an instant improvement upon Guttierez (now signed with Formula E) and the benefit is mutual for him and the team at this juncture. This will make 3 different teams in his 3rd season for Magnussen and gives him an opportunity a growing team to prove himself against a solid driver in Grosjean.

Pre-Season Testing in Barcelona

Testing went well for Haas, as driver Romain Grosjean recorded 76 laps around Catalunya on the final day of testing bringing his two-week testing total to 346 laps, 1,610.63 kilometers (1,000.799 miles). His teammate Kevin Magnussen meanwhile did 369 total laps, 1,717.695 kilometers (1,067.326 miles) during his two weeks of testing.

In total Haas ran an impressive 715 laps or 3,328.325 kilometers (2,068.125 miles) during its 2017 preseason test. This, compared to only running 474 laps from last year. Magnussen did 119 laps on the final Thursday, the most of Haas preseason. His quickest lap Thursday also was his quickest of the preseason – a 1.20.504 on his 62nd lap with the Pirelli P Zero Purple ultrasoft tyre.

That time placed Magnussen fifth among 13 drivers participating. After a spin in the morning of the the last day of testing, and a sensor issue which stranded him later that morning, Romain Grosjean posted his best time on afternoon of the last day of testing with a 1.21.110 on Pirelli P Z Purple Ultrasoft tyres puting him 10th of 13 drivers.

After bringing the VF 17 back to the garage a water leak was discovered preventing the team from running in the final 30 minutes of on-track running.

2017 Predictions

It was said by Romain Grosjean that Ferrari were ‘sandbagging’ and that they were not allowed to use all of their Ferrari PU in Barcelona testing. Exciting, even though you’d assume Renault and Mercedes were also turned down in testing. I think that Haas have done a very good job developing an advanced areodynamic package, there are some very interesting details they have gone with such as front facing elements of the bargeboards, and designs to the floor which are similar to top teams like Mercedes, so it’s nice to see them doing that.

With things at McLaren seemingly going from bad to crisis, I’m going to predict they shock McLaren and Renault, finishing above both but unable to catch the outstanding car Toro Rosso have built finishing them a very respectable 7th in the WCC with Grosjean finishing ahead of Magnussen.

Jeremiah Doctson

(Image Courtesy of Pirelli F1 Media)

22nd March 20173rd July 2017

Sir Frank Williams, a Living Legend

2011 German Grand Prix – Friday
Nurburgring, Germany
22nd July 2011
Pastor Maldonado, Williams FW33 Cosworth.
Photo: Steven Tee/LAT Photographic
ref: Digital Image _A8C4283If I asked you to name five legends of Formula One I bet you’d name all drivers, right? I’d probably do the same, but how could anyone miss Sir Frank Williams from their list? The man is a living legend and has come through so much adversity during his life he really should be top of any legend list.

Frank was born in South Shields in 1942 to an RAF officer and special needs teacher, he spent much or his later childhood at St Joseph’s college a private boarding school.

It was in the late 1950s when Frank became hooked on fast cars after a friend gave him a lift in a Jaguar XK150, Personally I think we have a lot to thank this anonymous friend for, if he hadn’t given Frank a lift we may not have had, what is arguably, one of the finest Formula One teams of all time.

Before setting up Frank Williams Racing in 1966 he had a brief career as a driver and mechanic. He made his racing debut in 1961 driving an Austin A40 saloon, thereafter progressing to F3 racing both as a mechanic and driver which he funded by working as a traveling grocery salesman.

During the days of Frank Williams Racing he ran cars in Formula Two and Formula Three, in 1969 he purchased ad Brabham Formula one chassis which driver Piers Courage drove through that season, twice finishing in second place.

1970 saw the death of Courage at the Dutch Grand Prix, Frank entered into a brief partnership with Alejandro de Tomaso a partnership that ended in 1971, also in that year Frank purchased a chaises from March Engineering and ran a race car driven by French man Henri Pescarolo.

In 1972 Williams Works built their first F1 car designed by Len Bailey and called the Politoys FX3, unfortunately, Pescarolo crashed it and destroyed it in the first race of the year.

By this point, Frank was short on money and had started conducting his business from a phone box due to the fact his own phone had been cut off because he hadn’t paid the bill!

Frank decided it was time to seek sponsorship and turned to Marlboro and Italian car company Iso Rivolta, they initially agreed the deal never materialised which meant Frank was still short on cash and still searching for a sponsor, in 1976 he finally found the sponsorship he was looking for in Walter Wolf the oil tycoon.

1977 saw Frank leave Frank Williams Racing along with a young engineer called Patrick Head. The two of the bought a disused carpet warehouse in Oxford and so began the Williams Grand Prix engineering.

These days we know the team as simply WilliamsF1, although Frank has eased his role passing the reigns to his daughter Claire, he can still be seen at many races.

Frank has overcome many trials and tribulations in his life, none less than the horrific car accident that he had in March 1986.

Frank was leaving the Paul Richard circuit

on a journey to Nice airport in his Ford Sierra rental when he lost control of the car. It was very unfortunate that there was an eight-foot drop between the field the car was heading for and the road, the car landed on the driver’s side resulting in Frank being pressed between the seat and the roof causing a spinal fracture since the accident Frank has been confined to a wheelchair.

One would find it hard to write anything about Frank Williams and not include the untimely death of Ayrton Senna, under Italian law Frank was charged with manslaughter although he was cleared many years later.

Frank has been quoted as saying “Ayrton was a great man he had that fierce competitive spirit that every racing driver should have. But off the track, he was a calm, charming man and that’s what made him stand out”

Frank married his wife Virginia in 1967. they had three children Jamie, Jonathan, and Claire, Ginny, as she was known by many, sadly passed away in 2013

Frank was awarded a CBE in 1987 by the queen, then in 1999, he was knighted.

He was made a Chevalier of France’s Legion d’honneur an honnour which was presented to him for his work with Renault.

2008 saw Frank awarded the Wheatcroft trophy which is presented to people who have made significant contributions to the motorsports world.

On December 19th, 2010 Frank was awarded the Helen Rollason Award for outstanding achievement in the face of adversity.

Frank even has a street in Didcot named after him.

Now let me ask you the same question I asked earlier, would you now put Sir Frank on or even at the top of your list?

Donna Marie, deputy editor

22nd March 20173rd July 2017

Australian Grand Prix Preview -The kangaroos are back

MELBOURNE (AUSTRALIA) – 20/3/16
© FOTO STUDIO COLOMBO PER PIRELLI MEDIA (© COPYRIGHT FREE)

Australian Grand Prix Fri 24- Sun 26 March

Formula One finally returns to our lives after a long time of absence. Winter break is over, pre-season tests have completed and the race weeks/weekends are back to our screens, heart, and mind.

The season premiere will occur in Australia, Melbourne, which hosts the opening Grand Prix of each year, excluding the 2006 and 2010 seasons.

The Australian driver Lex Davison and the German driver Michael Schumacher are the two drivers who are sharing the record of the most wins in the Australian Grand Prix, both have won the race four times. While McLaren is the most successful constructor as they have won twelve times in Australia.

The teams had to adjust the 2017 car and form them according to the new regulations which included changes on the tyres, front and rear wings, suspension and in the weight of the cars. You can read my previous article about the 2017 new regulations.

Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit

Laps: 58

Circuit Length: 5.303 km

Race Distance: 307.574 km

Lap Record: 1:24.125 – Michael Schumacher (2004)

The track is familiar to the drivers, there are two DRS zones, the first one is at the start/finishing straight and the second one is between the second and the third turn.

Last season in Australia, Lewis Hamilton took the pole position, which was the fiftieth of his career, but Nico Rosberg was the driver who took the first chequered flag of the season. The German finished ahead of his team-mate and Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel.

Romain Grosjean finished sixth and scored Haas’ first points in their Formula One debut race. Daniil Kvyat didn’t start the race due to electrical issues, on lap 22 Kimi Raikkonen forced to stop and retire the race as fire was coming from his airbox. A massive collision between Fernando Alonso and Esteban Gutierez deployed the safety car for a couple of laps, but a few moments later all the cars returned to the pitlane as the race was under red flag. Alonso ran into Gutierez’s back while he was running with almost 300 km/h and lifted into the air, he crashed onto the barrier and started to roll over and finally landed upside down at turn three. Alonso walked away with minor injuries.

Circuit de Barcelona Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain.
Wednesday 01 March 2017.
World Copyright: Steven Tee/LAT Images
ref: Digital Image _R3I6563

Hopefully, on Sunday, we will not see any similar accidents, as the safety of the drivers is the most important factor. A clear race, full of battles and overtakes is all that we need.

Melbourne will give us a small taste of which team is ahead and which made the best adjustments. Will Ferrari be able to challenge Mercedes and return to victories?

Do not miss PitCrew’s live coverage on Sunday, starts 30 minutes before lights out!

Victor Archakis – @FP_Passion

22nd March 20173rd July 2017

The BMW-Williams Era

A six-season partnership that for four years were the upstarts in the face of the all-conquering combination of Michael Schumacher.

Williams lost their factory Renault engines at the end of 1997 and it took until 2000 for them to find another factory engine with BMW. The first line-up of that era featured the experienced Ralf Schumacher in his second year with the team and 20-year-old rookie Jenson Button – at the time the youngest ever Formula One driver.

While expectations for their season back in Formula One were low, 2000 proved to be a solid start to the season for BMW Williams. Ralf Schumacher’s consistent driving took him to fifth place with 24 points (Only the top 6 scored in those days) behind the dominant Ferrari and McLaren quartet of Michael Schumacher, Rubens Barrichello, Mika Hakkinen and David Coulthard. Button impressed in his first season, finishing a solid eighth on 12 while the team’s three podiums all went to Schumacher, with third place finishes in Australia, Belgium and Italy.

2001 was BMW Williams’ breakthrough year. Juan Pablo Montoya joined from Indycars after success in Champ cars and the Indianapolis 500 joined and Button was loaned to the ailing Benetton team. The BMW engine was more powerful and Montoya was in line for his first victory in just his third race at the Brazilian Grand Prix, before a bizarre accident when lapping the Arrows of Jos Verstappen as the Dutchman drove over the back of the Colombian’s car.

Ralf Schumacher took the first victory for Williams since 1997 at the San Marino Grand Prix, dominating after snatching the lead from David Coulthard at the start of the race. His second career win was historic in that it was the first time in Formula One history that siblings had finished first and second as he led home Michael at the Canadian Grand Prix. Schumacher’s third victory came during his home race at the final race around the old Hockenheimring later that season.

Montoya did win a race in his debut season despite a number of technical issues and collisions when he was the class of the field at the Italian Grand Prix. Schumacher finished the season fourth, just seven points behind Barrichello as his brother walked away with his fourth World Drivers’ Championship. Montoya was beaten to fifth by the retiring Hakkinen, the team taking four wins and a further five podiums on their way to third in the standings.

Ferrari were to increase their stranglehold over F1 in 2002, although on occasion Williams did threaten. Williams overhauled McLaren, but their only victory in 2002 was a splendid 1-2 led home by Ralf at the Malaysian Grand Prix to provide the fans and paddock with ultimately false hope that Ferrari would be challenged after 2001. In reality, Ferrari were never off the podium and won the Constructors’ Championship by 129 points, with Williams second on 92.

The 2003 season was as good as it got for BMW Williams. Montoya’s excellent form during the summer almost won him the title, with points npw awarded to the top eight. Ralf Schumacher’s fifth place saw the team finish a much closer second to Ferrari in the constructors in what was the closest Championship fight since 1999.

An indifferent first six races for Montoya heralded three retirements and 15 points as Williams initially struggled for consistency. His season was transformed after victory at the Monaco Grand Prix, during which he led home Raikkonen and Michael Schumacher as the trio were covered by 1.7 seconds.

That victory sparked a run of eight straight podiums including another win at a crash-strewn German Grand Prix lap to leave the Colombian three points behind Schumacher with two races left. Ralf briefly brought himself into contention with a stellar run of form as he won two straight races at the European and French Grands Prix, before tailing off with bad luck and injury.

A drive-through penalty for a collision with Barrichello at the US Grand Prix served just as the heavens opened meant Montoya was condemned to sixth place, which combined with Schumacher’s victory ended his title aspirations with one race left.

After a strong 2003, big things were expected for a 2004 that never took off. BAR and Renault became F1’s new kids on the block and Montoya was on the podium only three times. His triumph at the Brazilian Grand Prix at the end of the season was the last of the BMW era.

Ralf Schumacher suffered broken vertebrae in his back at the US Grand Prix and was forced to miss six races, with his place taken firstly by Marc Gene and Antonio Pizzonia. With Montoya fifth, he was ninth in the standings as BMW Williams limped to fourth in the Constructors’ Championship.

Montoya left to join McLaren for 2005 and Schumacher joined the ambitious Toyota outfit, and the final season of BMW’s association with Williams was contested with Mark Webber and Nick Heidfeld at the helm.

Heidfeld was on the podium in Malaysia before a famous 2-3 finish behind the imperious Raikkonen at Monaco, but results dried up as BMW announced their intentions to buy Sauber to form their own factory team.

Webber would end the season tenth on 36 points while Heidfeld left Williams 11th on 28 after missing the final five races, with the team fifth in the Constructors’ Championship in their final year with BMW.

Williams did not buy customer engines from BMW for 2006 and thus ended a six-season partnership during which they scored 10 wins, with 2003 a highlight as they challenged for the title for the only time since Jacques Villeneuve’s 1997 triumph.

After spells with Cosworth, Toyota and Renault the team are now supplied by Mercedes and came closest to winning only their second Grand Prix since the BMW contract ended with a front row lockout by Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas.

The majority of the BMW era will be remembered for Williams being the only team to consistently mount a challenge to the Ferrari juggernaut.

Jack Prentice @JPrentice8

Image Courtesy of Matthew Pigg

21st March 20173rd July 2017

Scuderia Ferrari – Season Preview

Circuit de Barcelona Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain.
Wednesday 08 March 2017.
World Copyright: Zak Mauger/LAT Images
ref: Digital Image _L0U5019

Ferrari can consider themselves to be one of the teams that had a successful winter’s work in Barcelona during testing.

Both Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel set the two quickest times around the Circuit De Catalunya, and they’ve done enough to have the Mercedes camp worried.

It’s not just on outright pace, where Ferrari were clearly holding back, that the Prancing Horse were competitive.

The Scuderia completed almost 1,000 laps and along with Mercedes were the only team to complete Grand Prix distance runs on multiple occasions.

It is important not to take testing as gospel, despite Lewis Hamilton’s best attempts to make Ferrari favourites after an intriguing pre-season.

After a solid 2015, Ferrari were predicted to take 2016 by storm but as the season wore on it became clear that they were flattering to deceive, with strategic errors in Australia and Canada and failure to develop the car as the season wore on.

After himself having a tumultuous season last year, Vettel wasn’t quick to point out that the Barcelona form guide is only a vague one.

“It’s impossible to predict anything,” he told Sports Bild. “Even the tests in Barcelona only give a basic idea where you stand.

“It is only in the first race that you will know how well you and the others have worked over the winter. We’ll only get real clarity after three or four races.”

Despite his caution, Vettel still that a title at Ferrari is still in the question, after his predecessor Fernando Alonso left after he lost confidence in the Maranello squad.

Circuit de Barcelona Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain.
Tuesday 07 March 2017.
World Copyright: Sam Bloxham/LAT Images
ref: Digital Image _SLB3905

“If not, I wouldn’t go to the start grid.

“All I can say is that the spirit in the team is good, everyone is working for everyone else’s benefit.”

Raikkonen, who won the 2007 World Championship with Ferrari, believes that the team have made a step forward compared to last year.

“There are a few small issues but if we look a year ago, we are in a much stronger position. The car is reliable and we have to be positive with how we have gone forward as a team.”

Jack Prentice @JPrentice8

21st March 20173rd July 2017

Toro Rosso – Season Preview

It all started on the 26th February 2017, it was a sunny evening at the Circuit de Catalunya when the car was unveiled to the world in their stunning new colours. We start the season with our two returning drivers, Danill Kvyat and Carlos Sainz, only one of three teams to retain the same lineup as the previous year.

During winter testing in Spain, the team notched up 584 laps (2718km), with Sainz setting a 1.19.837 and Kvyat setting a 1.20.416. Let’s forget about the times, as none of the teams were pushing 100%. During the test, we saw a problem with the ERS system of all the Renault engined cars which heavily restricted the mileage from the boys. We know Renault will be working hard to fix the problem in time for the Australian GP.

Talking about the Australian GP, Toro Rosso is one of the midfield teams and if Renault can fix its problems with the engine, they could become the best midfield team. As any team, they will want a strong first race.

As always there is big pressure on the two drivers with Pierre Gasly waiting in the wings for a seat either at Toro Rosso or Red Bull both drivers will have to be at the top of their game right from the off as too many mistakes can cost you your seat as we saw last year.

Otherwise, I predict a great year for the team and drivers:

Sainz finishing 10th in the driver’s championship

Kvyat finishing 13th in the driver’s championship

Toro Rosso finishing 5th in the constructor’s championship

Richard Hindson

Image Courtesy of PitSpy

20th March 20173rd July 2017

Hill, Rosberg and the Legend of Williams

History has special significance in the world of Formula One.

A comprehensive list of special history making feats is a story for another time, instead and in celebration of the Williams F1 team, we look at their part in the careers of two drivers who each form one part of the only two father and son combinations to have won drivers titles; Damon Hill and Nico Rosberg.

Damon Hill

What else can be said about the son of F1 Champion Graham Hill except for legendary. For many, Hill will forever trigger memories of the blue and white colour’s of the Rothmans Williams team, with whom he won his title in 1996. It was the combination of Frank Williams & Patrick Head that gave Hill, then 33, a seat and rest, as they say, is history.

Hill spent 3 seasons will Williams, culminating in his historic title win during the 1996 season. But it was his steadfast determination, guts and tough skin that saw him move from spinning out in his first race to taking three victories by seasons end in 1993.

1994 will forever be remembered as modern F1’s darkest year, the year we lost Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger. Senna had been Hill’s teammate and at the wheel of the Williams during the San Marino Grand Prix. Hill, through the storm cloud of grief and anger that fell over F1, lead the team as team leader through what remains a painful wound on the soul of F1 and finished 2nd in the championship to Michael Schumacher.

1995 proved difficult for Hill, but in 1996 he would prove his detractors wrong, by cementing his place in history and becoming Drivers World Champion. While it would prove to be his last with Williams, Hill rewarded the faith that Sir Frank had placed in him, which would be repeated with another driver many years later.

Nico Rosberg

The reigning world champion retired at the end of the 2016 season to the sadness of many of his fans. While his title was achieved under the banner of the Mercedes F1 team, like Hill, Rosberg too had Williams place faith in his young talent.

The son of F1 champion Keke Rosberg, began his career at the Williams team in 2006. His exploits in the Engineering aptitude test aside, Rosberg spent 4 seasons with the team and immediately broke a record in the first season, becoming the then youngest driver to set a fastest lap.

In 2008 he scored his first podium in F1 and also lead a Grand Prix for the first time under the floodlights of Singapore, which ultimately saw him finish in 2nd place.

2009 and his final season, Rosberg single handedly gave Williams 6th place in the constructors championship, earning every point for his team.

Williams had placed faith in a rookie driver, who relied on his intelligence and skill, much like Hill, and gave him a break into F1. More importantly, they kept him in the team based on his skill before he moved to Mercedes and his eventual title.

What, you may ask, is Williams role in these history making title wins? The answer to that is simple: Williams have over their many years in F1 looked to nurture talent and break boundaries by placing their faith in drivers who they could see the bigger brighter future with.

Williams have always had a firm place in the hearts of most drivers for the way in which Sir Frank was unapologetic for his choices in drivers, even when the paddock questioned him. You may say, “well they would have probably got a drive elsewhere”.

They didn’t, their drives were with Williams. The tenure of an F1 driver is one of the most uncertain things about the sport and many a rookie is simply not given the time and support to prove his worth. Williams put faith in both Hill and Rosberg, supported them and saw them gain the experience that was necessary to take their respective eventual titles.

That’s arguably all a driver wants… and a fast car of course!

Rhea Morar, deputy F1 editor

19th March 20173rd July 2017

Williams, 40 years of history in a few lines

Williams Martini Racing is one of the most historic teams in the Motorsport history, Frank Williams and the British engineer Patrick Head were the two founders of the team. Williams made its debut with Marchs chassis in 1977 in the Spanish Grand Prix and took part in the second half of the Formula One season.

The first car, known as FW06, revealed at the end of 1977 and the Australian driver Alan Jones was the first who had the opportunity to drive it. At that time 17 people were working for Williams and Frank Williams found financial support from Middle Eastern companies.

At their debut season, Williams finished 9th in the constructors’ championship, took part in 16 races and finished once on the podium.

The following season was totally different as the FW07 scored 75 points and finished runner-up in the constructors’ championship, behind Ferrari. Williams won five races at that season and took three pole positions. The two drivers who raced that year were the Swiss Clay Regazzoni and the Australian Alan Jones. The first victory for the team came at the British Grand Prix, Regazzoni took the chequered flag and was about 25 seconds ahead of the other drivers.

Williams Domination

“This is the best feeling in the world.” These were Frank Williams’ words after Williams’ first world title in 1980. The team won six races, five victories for Jones and one victory for Reutemann, also they scored 19 podiums in total, three pole positions and five fastest laps. The FW07B was unbeatable at that season. One of the best moments of that year was when Jones and Reutemann finished first and second respectively in Montreal and the Australian celebrated his driver world title.

Between 1980-1997 Williams won nine constructors’ championship and seven drivers’ championships.

The following season (1981) the team celebrates their second consecutive title. Reutemann finished second and his team-mate third, the FW07C participated in 15 Grand Prix, won four races and finished 13 times on the podium. Carlos Reutemann lost the drivers’ title by just one point at the season finale in Las Vegas.

Keke Rosberg signed a contract with Williams in 1982 and claimed the drivers’ world title by winning just one race during the season. That year there were eleven different winners in sixteen races and one of the most memorable moment was Rosberg’s second place in Austria, where Keke finished only 0.05s behind Elio de Angelis.

The next couple of years, Williams were not very competitive and the team won only two races in those seasons, but in 1985 Keke Rosberg and Nigel Mansell won four races and scored 71 points which moved the Williams up to the third place in the constructors’ championship.

Nelson Piquet joined Williams in 1987, a dominant year for the team as they won the constructors’ and the drivers’ championship. It was Williams second consecutive constructors’ title. Nelson finished first and the team scored 19 podiums, nine wins, and twelve poles at that year.

From 1988 until 1991 Williams finished two times in the second position. The first one was in 1989, Partese finished 3rd while his team-mate Boutsen finished 5th. The team collected 77 points and won two races and finished 10 times on the podium. In 1991, Mansell won five races, which helped the team to score 125 points and finish second in the championship.

2011 Spanish Grand Prix – Sunday
Circuit de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain
22nd May 2011
Pastor Maldonado, Williams FW33 Cosworth.
World Copyright:Steven Tee/LAT Photographic
ref: Digital Image _A8C3628

The following three years were full of victories and trophies for Williams. Three years, three world titles. In 1992, Mansell won the drivers’ championship with the Renault-powered FW14B. Ten wins, twenty podiums, and fifteen poles for Nigel Mansell and Riccardo Partese. The two drivers collected 164 points combined and Williams finished at the highest position in the championship. At the Portuguese Grand Prix, Mansell claimed Williams’ 50th pole. In 1993, it was Alain Prost’s turn to claim the championship with the FW15C, whilst his team-mate, Damon Hill finished third in the championship. Ten wins and 22 podiums were enough for Williams to secure the constructors’ title.

Three drivers drove the Renault V10 powered FW16 in 1994. Hill, Coulthard, and Mansell but none manage to win the drivers’ world title. Despite that, Williams won its third consecutive world title by collecting 118 points and scoring seven wins.

A battle for the drivers’ title took place in 1996, between the two Williams’ drivers Damon Hill and Jacques Villeneuve. At the final race in Japan, Damon took the chequered flag and the world title. It was a dominant season for Williams as they won twelve of the sixteen races and the FW18 collected 175 points and finished way ahead of their main rival Ferrari in the constructors’ standings.

The next season, Williams won three of the four opening races, Villeneuve beat Michael Schumacher and celebrated his first world title. The FW19 was unbeatable, participated in 17 Grands Prix and won eight of them, it was Williams’ ninth and final title.

The fallen of the empire

After the world title in the constructors’ championship in 1997, Williams did not manage to finish on the highest place on the board again. The team won some crucial races, finished two times as a runner-up and five times in the third place.

In 1998, Williams announced that BMW will be their engine supplier since 2000 as Renault decided to withdraw from Formula 1. At that year the FW20 ran with Mecachrome V10 engine, Jacques Villeneuve and Heinz-Harald Frentzen finished three times on the podium and Williams collected 38 points in total. These points were enough to secure them the third place.

In BMW’s debut as an engine supplier, Ralf Schumacher and Jenson Button scored 36 points combined. Schumacher took three podiums and the FW22 and finished fifth in the drivers’ championship. The following year was even better for the team and for BMW, nine podium finishes and four victories for Schumacher and Juan Pablo Montoya. Williams finished third with 80 points almost double than previous’ season.

Williams reacted positively in the new regulations in 2003, the FW25 was very competitive but still, that was not enough and the team did not manage to beat Ferrari, hence they finished second with 144 points.

The following years were very tough for Williams, the team was not very competitive and even Montoya’s victory in the Brazilian Grand Prix in 2004 was not enough to change the fact that Williams was not as competitive as they used to be. In 2006, BMW departure and Williams raced with Cosworth V8. At that season, Nico Rosberg replaced Nick Heidfeld and became Mark Webber’s new team-mate.

Rubens Barrichello, one of the most experienced drivers on the grid, joined Williams in 2010 alongside the new GP2 champion Nico Hulkenberg. After two low seasons, Williams presented a more competitive car in 2011, the FW34. Pasto Maldonado took the one and only victory of that season at the Spanish Grand Prix.

The introduction of the new hybrid 1.6-litre turbo charged V6 power unit, allowed Williams to score points in the first half of the 2014 season. After two years of absence, the team returned to podium finishes at the Austrian Grand Prix. The Mercedes-powered FW36 collected 320 points and finished 3rd in the constructors’ championship.

2014 Formula One Chinese Grand Prix,
Shanghai International Circuit, Jiading, Shanghai, China, 17th -20th April 2014
Felipe Massa, Williams FW36 Mercedes, Action,
World Copyright: © Andrew Hone Photographer 2014.
Ref: _ONY3687 /c Pirelli F1 Media

Last season Valtteri Bottas with his FW38, secured Williams one and only podium finish in Canada. It was an emotional season, as Massa announced his retirement at the Italian Grand Prix. At the season-finale, Williams, lost the fourth place from Force India, hence they finished 5th with 138 points.

The rookie Lance Stroll will race alongside the ex-retired driver Felipe Massa this season and Williams aims to be more competitive than last year in order to return to the podium finishes.

Victor Archakis – @FP_Passion