885 replies to this topic

[TheWilliamzer]

Today, Bottas talked to Finnish TV "MTV3" about the FW35:

http://en.espnf1.com...tory/98399.html

As far as looks, the (2013) car is pretty much as it was last year, With the new rules, the step nose is straightened. That is the biggest difference in appearance. The new car is a development version of last year's. There are certain improvements in aerodynamics. We have tried to focus on getting more traction in corners.

I hope this is enough basic info for starting this car's thread

[Francesc]

I hope they can finally get rid of that front end problem they've been having since 2008.

[Anderis]

Well, Williams have updated their website today, at last, because they've kept some old information on this for a while. We can finally say something about what sponsors will be on the FW35. So based on the website, Williams should keep following logos on their car:
- PDVSA
- Venezuela Tourism
- Renault
- Randstad
- Thomson Reuters (well, they weren't on the car really in 2012, just on the team's earphones, but may come back for 2013 as they have remained as a team partner all the time)
- Pirelli
- Hatch
- Oris
- McGregor
- Wihuri (it's confirmed they will increase their presence on the car for 2013)
- Kemppi
But they have the following loss:
- All 5 of Senna's sponsors (Gillette, Head&Shoulders, Embratel, MRV, OGX)
- Ridge Solutions.
Well, the good news is that opposite to 2012 (AT&T) and 2011 (Phillips, RBS and some others), they haven't experienced substantial loss of independent (not dependent on driver) sponsorship for a new season. The bad one is that there wasn't much to lose after that years. The team is yet to attract a proper big, not dependent on driver choice, sponsor since the beginning of the 2008 and a deal with Baugur Group. Since then they've lost mentioned Baugur, + Lenovo, RBS, Philips, AT&T and apart from PDVSA, they haven't as big sponsor as any of those now. Plenty of medium sponsors with Accenture, Hell, AirAisia, Allianz and now Ridge have gone without much replacement as well, Hatch is the only recent deal apart from Finnish sponsors that come with Bottas. The team is lacking partnerships and won't come back at the top until some good new deals arrive IMO. But it isn't easy to attract those nowadays, especially that Williams is yet to finish inside top5 in WCC since 2007. I must admit I'm envious of what Lotus are doing on a sponsorship ground recently. Perhaps Williams should think about getting some people onboard who would do a proper job with gaining sponsorship? Or maybe PDVSA is really hurting their image that much that nothing can help? Well, the deal with them was rather effect than cause of losing sponsorship, but you never know.
It's a pity that rumours about sponsorship from Qatar didn't come into existence. It seems to be much money coming from this country to sport (PSG in football is enough said, they are rumoured to get £163million per year from Qatar in about 2016, a tenth of that would make them a very significant sponsor for Williams), so it's painful Williams are not rewarded for their obvious effort to make their relationship with Qatar good.

[HopkinsonF1]

"We've worked on improving traction and aerodynamics." – every F1 team, every year.

[Anderis]

Aerodynamics- yes. But I'm not so sure about traction. I can't recall many "We have tried to focus on getting more traction" from other teams.

At the beginning of the season FW34 excelled in fast corners but struggled with traction. Traction problems seemed to became minimised later in the season, but maybe it was done only to some extent. Straight-line speed also seemed to be bit problematic. Hope FW35 will be a more complete package, but due to the major rule change in 2014, I don't expect Williams to challenge frontrunners as often as they were able to do it last year. They will need to have 2014 in their minds. So will do other teams, but bigger teams have an advantage here- they have more resources to split between those two years.

[Anderis]

After Gillan, McCullough and Barnett, Williams loses another man in short time. Aerodynamicist Martin Bester goes to Ferrari.

[MonacoMaster]

Aerodynamics- yes. But I'm not so sure about traction. I can't recall many "We have tried to focus on getting more traction" from other teams.

At the beginning of the season FW34 excelled in fast corners but struggled with traction. Traction problems seemed to became minimised later in the season, but maybe it was done only to some extent. Straight-line speed also seemed to be bit problematic. Hope FW35 will be a more complete package, but due to the major rule change in 2014, I don't expect Williams to challenge frontrunners as often as they were able to do it last year. They will need to have 2014 in their minds. So will do other teams, but bigger teams have an advantage here- they have more resources to split between those two years.

I'm afraid that traction bit is a translation mistake. He is talking about grip in general ('pito' in Finnish) not about traction.

[One]

I'm afraid that traction bit is a translation mistake. He is talking about grip in general ('pito' in Finnish) not about traction.

Working on revolutionally diffuser... ? That would make top side of the body work rather quiet...

[roadie]

So Williams will tease us with updates to the FW34 when other teams are launching their cars and will be launching the FW35 on the 19th of Feb!

[PayasYouRace]

Hopefully the late launch won't be too much of a problem. What I'm most disappointed about is that I'll only be able to attend the Jerez test and as such won't get to see the 35 "in the carbon" so to speak.

[slu]

Williams Hybrid Power today announced a supply contract with french industrial giant Alstom (turnover 20 billion euros;app 92.000 employees)
Alstom logo is navy+red and would fit nicely into present colours on the 35....

[Francesc]

Williams Hybrid Power today announced a supply contract with french industrial giant Alstom (turnover 20 billion euros;app 92.000 employees)
Alstom logo is navy+red and would fit nicely into present colours on the 35....

It would fit very nicely indeed.

But I won't get my hopes up.

I'm afraid we will see yet again this season the sidepods with the cars numbers on them.

Edited by Francesc, 18 January 2013 - 18:05.

[leojagpreet]

If williams can step up there performance a bit, which hopefully they will - it will be interesting to see Pastor Maldanado having a season long fight with Lewis Hamilton.

[ch103]

Is there anyone else, besides me, who is concerned about the team not being at the first test?

[Shiroo]

Is there anyone else, besides me, who is concerned about the team not being at the first test?

Yes. It is major set back, no matter what they will say, it will cost them about some lap time in the 1st race and later on (in the end 4 days training is A LOT). and reliability issues

Edited by Shiroo, 18 January 2013 - 23:37.

[charly0418]

Yep, they're already behind, so is Force India.

Wouldn't be surprised if Sauber beats them again this year (and by a wider margin) and Toro Rosso sneaks into the midfield battle with Williams and FI

[tkulla]

Oddly enough my first impulse was to think that they might be doing something they don't want others to see right away, rather than a any sort of scheduling issues. Just a gut feeling though.

Edited by tkulla, 19 January 2013 - 03:34.

[paulogman]

Not worried.
they have great stability from one year to the next finally.
I'm sure they are playing their cards close to their vests

[roadie]

Yeah, the car is supposed to be an evolution, so I'm not too worried. However it's not ideal...

[Francesc]

The late launch was planned quite some time ago. So I'm not worried.

[Jambo]

Yeah, I thought this was always the plan.

[Anderis]

Yes. It is major set back, no matter what they will say, it will cost them about some lap time in the 1st race and later on (in the end 4 days training is A LOT). and reliability issues

Red Bull missed first test session some time ago and they won both championships that year.
Brawn missed some tests in 2009 and their car was flawless in first half of the year.

Missing some tests doesn't make your car slower or less reliable automatically. It's all about how efficient you are. Being one of little teams who will test with old car give them advantage in some aspects: they can evaluate new tyres and some new parts better having 2012 car as a known variable. They have also more time to finalise the design, therefore they can put a little bit more time for research. If it was planned, it certainly doesn't have to be a disadvantage, and there are some reasons to think it was actually planned.

[Jimisgod]

Yep, they're already behind, so is Force India.

Wouldn't be surprised if Sauber beats them again this year (and by a wider margin) and Toro Rosso sneaks into the midfield battle with Williams and FI

Sauber beat them because Maldonado was having a meltdown for the half a season following his win and Senna wasn't very good at all. On paper, I think Williams was a better car than Sauber - which is why it actually won and looked podium worthy without funny tyres.

[LateApex]

Being one of little teams who will test with old car give them advantage in some aspects: they can evaluate new tyres and some new parts better having 2012 car as a known variable. They have also more time to finalise the design, therefore they can put a little bit more time for research. If it was planned, it certainly doesn't have to be a disadvantage, and there are some reasons to think it was actually planned.

I really want Williams to be higher up the grid this year.

[Guizotia]

Oddly enough my first impulse was to think that they might be doing something they don't want others to see right away, rather than a any sort of scheduling issues. Just a gut feeling though.

Sandbagging!

[wewantourdarbyback]

The FW35 is always going to be an evolution, the 34 obviously had a very sound concept and some improvements will see it much higher up the grid. Therefore an evolution version shouldn't be horrifically far off the 35.

[PayasYouRace]

This year isn't a good year to be radical anyway, considering whatever concept you come up with will be useless in 2014.

[Little Leaf]

Regarding missing the first test, if the car is good it won't matter much. If the car is sh!te everyone will poinbt to missing the first test!

So who have Williams replaced the guys who have left with? Gillan, McCullough and Barnett have left, with no news as far as I know on replacements.

Now Toto Wollf is supposedly joining Mercedes I wonder how that is going to work?

Edited by Little Leaf, 21 January 2013 - 06:29.

[onewingedangel]

Regarding missing the first test, if the car is good it won't matter much. If the car is sh!te everyone will poinbt to missing the first test!

So who have Williams replaced the guys who have left with? Gillan, McCullough and Barnett have left, with no news as far as I know on replacements.

Now Toto Wollf is supposedly joining Mercedes I wonder how that is going to work?

Williams must be feeling a little stitched up - having signed Bottas on Wolff's insistance - they now has to make do without Senna's sponsor money and Toto has walked out the door anyway.

The push to get Qatari investment seems to have stagnated, and the PDVSA money which is keeping the team going always has a qestion mark over it's future.

It really does seem to be crunch time for the team.

[Jambo]

I think Bottas has done well enough in the past and in testing to be a good candidate for the seat no matter the manager.

At the moment the team is in decent financial state and has had its most competitive season in years.

Think this year will keep that trend.

[Scorf]

So...Ross Brawn to Williams????

Team Principal?

Edited by Scorf, 22 January 2013 - 16:29.

[maverick69]

So...Ross Brawn to Williams????

Team Principal?

Depends on whether Pat has forgiven him for the Michelin front tyre debacle

[Little Leaf]

So...Ross Brawn to Williams????

Team Principal?

Would be a good replacement for Gillan.

If rumours of Wolff having convinced Paddy Lowe to go to Williams before he left himself are true that also would have been interesting.

But Brawn would be good too!

[Little Leaf]

So Susie Wolff will be the first driver to shake down the FW35.

Quite ironic seeing as Tot has essentially left the company now

[Hans V]

So...Ross Brawn to Williams????

Team Principal?

Not that I believe this, but that would be a nice twist. He started out in F1 at Williams in 1978, so to return would be full circle, from machinist to team principal.

The question in my view is not whether Brawns is going to continue with Mercedes, but whether he stays in F1. With Niki Lauda as Chairman, Toto Wolf as MB Motorsport Chief, both men with equity in the team and a strong need to mark their their territory - and all various tehcnical chiefs in the team, there is not much room left for Brawn, so I'd say his days at Meredes are numbered. Having had great success in F1 and made a huge fortune out of selling Brawn GP to Merc, the question is whether Brawn really is hungry enough to go on. If he is, the prospect of leading the once so great Williams team back on top, should be an interesting challenge.

[One]

Mercedes has too many people in all fields, actually too much to talk on anything to do with anything I would assume. Moving to Williams will be refreshing, as it will offer Brawn a hugely short and direct impulse to the operation. Bet this would be a better choice technically.

[One]

On my second thoughts,... why should Brawn want to leave Mercedes? Would be good for Williams tho, and I bet it will work...

[Jambo]

Read on another post that this years livery will be on the car tomorrow, anyone seen anything else regarding that?

[Little Leaf]

Read on another post that this years livery will be on the car tomorrow, anyone seen anything else regarding that?

I did read that somewhere, maybe the Williams site.

Actually it is here too

http://www.autosport...t.php/id/105178

No new sponsors then? Haven't heard anything

[Anderis]

There is one new sponsor with the team, but it's not as big deal to influence the livery:

Between Hatch and ORIS, 7th logo from the right side. It may be Expedia.

And there is also bigger involvement from Wihuri, Kemppi and probably Hatch.

And yes, new livery is going to be on the car today.

[Anderis]

OK, the new sponsor is not Expedia, but Experian:
http://pbs.twimg.com...As-HS.jpg:large
Right sleeve.

[muramasa]

Expedia
Experian
Xperia
XP

there're too many ekspee

[One]

any news on the car?

[Little Leaf]

any news on the car?

Or old car with new livery?

[One]

Well new livery will go the car faster. They will run it on the 2013 reg weights and so on.

[Lord Snooty]

Admittedly its last season's car, but it did look like the team managed to rack up a fair few trouble free laps and, presumably, obtained the data they wanted for their test program. Here's to another 3 days of trouble free testing and looking forward to Barca...

[muramasa]

is that going to be their 2013 livery? I hope not. Not that it's horrible but they could be alot more creative than that.

[jstrains]

Williams with the vanity panel (source AMuS)
http://img1.auto-mot...0d97-658911.jpg

[riano]

are we likely to see a car thats much different to the FW34 seeing as they are releasing it so late?

[Scorf]

One thing thats clear...comparing the FW34 with the field of 2013 is just how advanced & small a 'rear end' the Williams had,

The fuss that is being spouted on various threads about how tight the 2013 Ferrari or Red Bull are....

Neither come close to the compactness of last years Williams. Lets hope the '35' is another step forward,

however, its difficult to imagine where there is excess left to shrink wrap!!