Williams FW44 (Technical thread)

https://twitter.com/...2183173/photo/2

The car looks a lot better to me on circuit (and, of course, it's the actual car rather than the the show car).

Edited by Muppetmad, 15 February 2022 - 15:40.

Real car now:

https://twitter.com/...609864962183173

( Muppet)

Edited by Timstr11, 15 February 2022 - 15:40.

Like last year, looks much better on track. Seems very slim at the rear but that may be the angle, wide airbox.

It looks a lot better on the real car in daylight. Still reminds me of the Travelodge logo though.

Shrink wrapped body. RBR of old style.

Such a large variation in designs.

Looks excellent on track. Lovely looking thing.

very different with the round nose. Looks hot! reminds me of early 1990 f1 cars 

Love the Williams! Best one yet!!

Tight packaging isn't the right description. It just has no ass. 

What's up with the rear of the floor, just before the rear-wheel?

Hmmm. This looked interesting. 

Looks like a modern take on the 94 Williams and in a weird blue which makes it look purple in that picture. Kind of makes me think of Simtek and at the back a 93 Ligier livery.

Even though "I literally dont care" (to quote the Great Hikaru Nakamura ...) .... the 2022 cars do look good  ... much better than I was expecting. 

Looks like a modern take on the 94 Williams and in a weird blue which makes it look purple in that picture. Kind of makes me think of Simtek and at the back a 93 Ligier livery.

The more I look at it, the more "IndyCar" I see in the livery.

What's up with the rear of the floor, just before the rear-wheel?

Does indeed look a little funky?

It's a side point but at least from this angle the line of the halo works very nicely with the downward swoop of the sidepod.

Airbox intake looks big, although it could just be the red highlighting.

Airbox intake looks big, although it could just be the red highlighting.

Looks like they moved moved coolers to the top of the engine, hence the larger intake (and shrink-wrapped sidepods).

Like I said the livery is fantastic. Looked like prost which everyone loved. Don't get the uproar about the livery but tbf Everytime Williams launch a new livery everyone just stereotype it as cheap and backmarker nowadays. I did the same last year only for it to look so much better on track.

The side pod is interesting. How did they manage to make it so compact? More compact than the McLaren yet don't need the cooling on top. Wow

Like I said the livery is fantastic. Looked like prost which everyone loved. Don't get the uproar about the livery but tbf Everytime Williams launch a new livery everyone just stereotype it as cheap and backmarker nowadays. I did the same last year only for it to look so much better on track.

The side pod is interesting. How did they manage to make it so compact? More compact than the McLaren yet don't need the cooling on top. Wow

Huh? Just look at the size of that airbox!! So much of their cooling is going through the centre line. The complete opposite of Alfa.

Looks like they moved moved coolers to the top of the engine, hence the larger intake (and shrink-wrapped sidepods).

Good to see them using the proper Williams number font rather than the monstrosity of last year

The car looks amazing on track, I have to say!

What happened to the rumour that the car was massively delayed?? 

Hmmm. This looked interesting. 

Looks like cooling exits flanking the exhaust pipe.

I guess that could be to improve airflow over the top of the diffuser as this area is now more important than ever due to the venturis?

Think so too. Curiuos to see if the big guns agree.

I have to say that there's so much variation already in the designs presented so far , so I'm not expecting a close season at all.

There will be surprises.

Lovely looking Simtek!

You're, right, the livery does have a Simtek look to it.

Edited by OO7, 15 February 2022 - 16:49.

Actually the sidepods seem to be direct evolutions of the previous williams cars, very short and downwashy sidepods, with very little side undercut at their widest point...
So the engine cover around the engine looks very similar too, but with a smaller bulge around the fuel tank. (in the last Williams cars, that bulge was caused by their particular fuel tank shape and their large and protruding intercooler-to- engine duct.
So this FW-44 looks similar to its sisters but slimmer... and has the most rounded nosecone top.

Edited by Alburaq, 15 February 2022 - 16:47.

Edited by RA2, 15 February 2022 - 16:45.

This one is very reminiscent of an indycar from the front. 

The front suspension geometry is different as well. I mean the slope ...

They have really worked on the car. Looks like a mature package but on track performance remains to be seen.

Interesting pimple on the undercut Didn't realise that was legal? 

Aside from that damn that rear end is TIGHT 

Car is very reminiscent of a Simtek though - hopefully this isn't a bad omen... 

Lovely looking Simtek!

My thoughts exactly!

How come the floor is flat all the way to the rear wheels, and then kicks up so hard?

Bit of an optical illusion there. It ramps up before the rear wheels but the reflections make it look confusing.  That extra high bit behind the rear wheel is the beam wing and gives the illusion of being joined to the diffuser exit.

The front end on that is so FW16 

I wish they had some white on it, but I guess they're finally racing in their actual colours / not sponsorship influenced. 

Edited by Beri, 15 February 2022 - 17:05.

Reminds me of the 1991 Lambo. Though I hope it does a lot better!

Wooww already the best looking F1 cars of the last 30 years 

Love the Williams livery and all the 90s car comparisons. The Simtek was an amazing looking thing (even tho not an amazing car). Hopefully not another doldrums year for Williams.

Low noses FTW

FWIW I prefer how the blue looks here 

Of course they show us the most useless pics possible. We still can't even tell how the most interesting part of the livery (engine cover) looks in natural light.

FWIW I prefer how the blue looks here 

 

I'm puzzled why they showed a FIA show car, real car is obviously ready and what would it take to take a couple of renders?

I wonder if the nose shape is intentionally reminiscent of the FW14?

Probably not. What a gorgeous car though.