2614 replies to this topic

[Francesc]

With Hulk gone, it seems certain that the pair will be Barrichello- Maldonado. He will be exciting to watch, but he's probably the new Andrea de Cesaris.

We will see in this week tests if the team already tests 2011 stuff like KERS, moveable rear wing, and non DD diffuser like they were the first team in 2008 to test with 2009 aero.

[Little Leaf]

With Hulk gone, it seems certain that the pair will be Barrichello- Maldonado. He will be exciting to watch, but he's probably the new Andrea de Cesaris.

We will see in this week tests if the team already tests 2011 stuff like KERS, moveable rear wing, and non DD diffuser like they were the first team in 2008 to test with 2009 aero.

Good 'ol Andrea de Crash-eris. Was fast on his day though! So is the Nakajima nose cone department being re-employed as we speak?

Isn't Maldonado just Pantano with a bit of bunce? Not been overly impressed by him in GP2 over the last, what, 4 years?

Shame Nico has gone, but if they need the cash then there isn't much choice is there?

[wewantourdarbyback]

Barrichello has been confirmed for 2011.

[wewantourdarbyback]

http://www.f1fanatic...lliams-in-2011/

[Lord Snooty]

http://www.f1fanatic...lliams-in-2011/

Had the post season email from Williams confirming Rubens for 2011 & Nico to leave; no word of his replacement. Its a pity really as I thought they were a well matched pairing; Rubens is quick and brings a lot of experience while Nico seemed to have the potential for great pace and was visibly getting better....

Still, new rules for next year and, if the performance of the Porsche GTR3 is anything to go by, the Williams KERS system seems to be pretty good (and there is still the odd rumour* that Porsche will partner with Williams for an F1 return at some point) so fingers crossed the FW33 is a winner.






*odd rumour http://electric-vehi...h-williams.html

[ManiaMuse]

Still, new rules for next year and, if the performance of the Porsche GTR3 is anything to go by, the Williams KERS system seems to be pretty good (and there is still the odd rumour* that Porsche will partner with Williams for an F1 return at some point) so fingers crossed the FW33 is a winner.






*odd rumour http://electric-vehi...h-williams.html

That's the flywheel one in the porsches isn't it?

Williams won't be using the flywheel KERS in F1 anymore. With no refueling requiring bigger fuel tanks there isn't enough room to fit the flywheel KERS in the car.

It's a shame though, the Williams flywheel solution has a lot more potential applications in the real world than the silly batteries which the teams are pretty much being forced to run by the regulations.

[Longtimefan]

Can't believe they got rid of the Hulk for him.

big mistake imo.

[slu]

Could the return of KERS together with no refuelling mean that only jockey sized drivers will fit into the 2011 car?
Hulkenberg at 1.84 might be to big?

[wewantourdarbyback]

Can't believe they got rid of the Hulk for him.

big mistake imo.

Have the money to run a team or have a driver with no team...erm.... no brainer really.

Plus, Maldonado hasn't been confirmed and is the GP2 champion same as the Hulk was the year before

[DW9]

I thought Rubens and Nico would be great next year. As it turns out money talks to ensure a budget for the team.

All this talk of Maldonardo is worrying. For me the guy won GP2 by default in a not so talented field especially after being there for 3/4 years. If he does get the seat then I hope he proves me wrong.

[wewantourdarbyback]

If he does get the seat then I hope he proves me wrong.

I'm going to remember how Kobayashi did in GP2 before judging.

[Little Leaf]

What's the news (if any) on AT&T? Are they staying on or are they leaving too?

Never did understand their title sponsorship to be honest, with so little appearance on the car.

[Mastah]

WilliamsF1Team ClaireVWilliams
Dean had a good 1st run for us this am. We've been doing aero testing and baseline runs to familiarise Dean. More of the same this pm

[wewantourdarbyback]

http://photos.gpupda...arge/167408.jpg

[Little Leaf]

Are they getting him to cut some grass oput there as well or what?

[EVO2]

Given recent upbeat comments from Adam Parr, we can only hope that Williams have sacrificed the Hulk in return for a massive sponsorship deal from Venuzuela.
It seems that they were very anxious to retain Rubens to develop the car for 2011 but needed the second seat to secure the sponsorship deal.
If it gives the team a budget over several years sufficient to make it back to the front of the grid it would be an understandable decision.

In the long run it might be that Hulkenberg's understandable reluctance to go to HRT for a year, could turn out to be a mistake.
Presuming that Ruben's retires at the end of 2011, he could have come back to Williams behind the wheel of a car capable of regular podiums.

Let's hope he gets the kind of seat he deserves and Williams uses the money to good effect.

[King Six]

Williams have lost Phillips and RBS who were pretty big sponsors, it's no surprise that they simply can't afford Hulkenberg when he's bringing in hardly if any sponsorship money. Obviously they still need to have one established racer and you take it all into account, Rubens is the better option.

People talk about how silly it is that drivers need sponsorships, I think it's more silly that Hulk is having difficulty in attracting sponsors. GP2 champ and getting a pole position in 2010 is surely worth something.

I'm not sure about AT&T, there's no news about AT&T dropping Williams from what I can see so it's all good on that front...

[HMV]

Could the return of KERS together with no refuelling mean that only jockey sized drivers will fit into the 2011 car?
Hulkenberg at 1.84 might be to big?

The minimum weight has been upped again I believe to accommodate KERS.

[Little Leaf]

Williams have lost Phillips and RBS who were pretty big sponsors, it's no surprise that they simply can't afford Hulkenberg when he's bringing in hardly if any sponsorship money. Obviously they still need to have one established racer and you take it all into account, Rubens is the better option.

People talk about how silly it is that drivers need sponsorships, I think it's more silly that Hulk is having difficulty in attracting sponsors. GP2 champ and getting a pole position in 2010 is surely worth something.

You can add Air Asia to that list I would think.

I recall Nico a couple of weeks' ago saying he won't be looking for sponsorship as he doesn't feel he should have to find any. Very short sighted in my opinion.

Hope he finds another seat though.

[wewantourdarbyback]

Pastor did over 100 laps for HRT today.

[wewantourdarbyback]

@JRobertsF1

At the end of the first day of testing Daniel Ricciardo is quickest from Turvey, Costa, Gutierrez, Stoneman, Aleshin, Vergne and di Resta

[Boing 2]

Williams have lost Phillips and RBS who were pretty big sponsors, it's no surprise that they simply can't afford Hulkenberg when he's bringing in hardly if any sponsorship money. Obviously they still need to have one established racer and you take it all into account, Rubens is the better option.

People talk about how silly it is that drivers need sponsorships, I think it's more silly that Hulk is having difficulty in attracting sponsors. GP2 champ and getting a pole position in 2010 is surely worth something.

I'm not sure about AT&T, there's no news about AT&T dropping Williams from what I can see so it's all good on that front...

i'd imagine that Hulkenberg is reluctant to start bringing money in case it defines him as a pay driver with all the baggage that brings

[wewantourdarbyback]

Dean on his test début:

http://www.autosport...rt.php/id/88328

[highdownforce]

Pastor did over 100 laps for HRT today.

And the car didn't break apart!

[Little Leaf]

i'd imagine that Hulkenberg is reluctant to start bringing money in case it defines him as a pay driver with all the baggage that brings

Is there a difference between a pay driver and a driver who brings personnal sponsors?

I mean (and correct me if I'm wrong) Senna (Nacional bank), Berger (Red Bull), Mansell (Isle on man) just off the top of my head brought money with them and hardly got looked down on for it.

There's a difference between buying a drive without having done much to earn it, and working your way up but bringing some sponsors with you.

Anyway, back on topic, who is driving the remaining 2 days for Williams then?

[wewantourdarbyback]

Hoof

http://motorsport.ne...16nov-1/188.jpg

Edited by wewantourdarbyback, 18 November 2010 - 09:23.

[DanardiF1]

I thought Rubens and Nico would be great next year. As it turns out money talks to ensure a budget for the team.

All this talk of Maldonardo is worrying. For me the guy won GP2 by default in a not so talented field especially after being there for 3/4 years. If he does get the seat then I hope he proves me wrong.

He did beat Perez who I think is as talented as Hulkenberg. Give Maldonado his due he did win the series... the likes of Kobayashi never came near that and look at him now... some drivers have different development curves.

[pingu666]

lets just see how he does, on mwm they said he was really good around monaco

[roadie]

Hoof

http://motorsport.ne...16nov-1/188.jpg

That piece of equipment seems pretty sophisticated. Seems to be measuring the air speed from the front wing and around the front tyre. It's also height adjustable.

The FW32 was a big break from the design of the FW31. I wonder how much of the FW32 the FW33 will take forward?

[Boing 2]

Is there a difference between a pay driver and a driver who brings personnal sponsors?

I mean (and correct me if I'm wrong) Senna (Nacional bank), Berger (Red Bull), Mansell (Isle on man) just off the top of my head brought money with them and hardly got looked down on for it.

There's a difference between buying a drive without having done much to earn it, and working your way up but bringing some sponsors with you.

Anyway, back on topic, who is driving the remaining 2 days for Williams then?

wern't they all personal sponsors though? i know senna had to fight hard to get nacional on his overalls at mclaren which i guess was because the money was staying in ayrtons pockets.

[Little Leaf]

Battery KERS for next year then...


http://www.autosport...rt.php/id/88387

[MaxisOne]

i'd imagine that Hulkenberg is reluctant to start bringing money in case it defines him as a pay driver with all the baggage that brings

So you would consider Alonso and Sutil pay drivers ?

[Little Leaf]

The FW32 was a big break from the design of the FW31. I wonder how much of the FW32 the FW33 will take forward?

Well the FW33 should be designed with KERS in mind, but as they have chosen to go with the Battery version it may be easier to package.

Hopefully they will have learnt something on the Porsche programme (is that the battery or flywheel?) that can be put to good use.

[MadYarpen]

Hopefully they will have learnt something on the Porsche programme (is that the battery or flywheel?) that can be put to good use.

flywheel

[r4mses]

Something makes me think Williams did the same mistake with Hülkenberg as BMW did with Vettel... they let him go.

[Little Leaf]

Something makes me think Williams did the same mistake with Hülkenberg as BMW did with Vettel... they let him go.

According to Joe Saward it may not be as clear cut as first seemed...

http://joesaward.wor...-last-48-hours/

No idea how credible that is but...?

[Clatter]

i'd imagine that Hulkenberg is reluctant to start bringing money in case it defines him as a pay driver with all the baggage that brings

The baggage is easily overcome if your on-track performance is good enough, and you can't very well showcase your talent from the sidelines.

[wewantourdarbyback]

According to Joe Saward it may not be as clear cut as first seemed...

http://joesaward.wor...-last-48-hours/

No idea how credible that is but...?

Interesting, I got the feeling that this was far from over.

[Crafty]

So Nico is no. 1 choice provided they have the budget, if not Pastor gets it.

Pastor has been saying he expects to be able to announce something about his future this week.

[Risil]

lets just see how he does, on mwm they said he was really good around monaco

Very very good around Monaco. I don't think it was just me who was reminded of a certain extremely-talented Uruguayan, who demolished the competition in the F3000 race in 1999.

Maldonado is a massive unknown, but I think he's shown enough to be worthy of a go in F1. He's not a talent in the Hamilton/Vettel mould, but Williams could do much worse than take the Chavez money. Anyway, it's not like they have to run Milka Duno to keep Venezuela on board.

Edited by Risil, 22 November 2010 - 18:04.

[wewantourdarbyback]

Rubens pleased with 'aggressive' approach to 2011:

http://www.autosport...rt.php/id/88470

[David1976]

I have always liked Williams and would love to see them regularly on the podium.

The problem is that with four front running teams that is now next to impossible unles they develop a technical advantage that cant be copied for a season by other teams.

[Fastcake]

Rubens pleased with 'aggressive' approach to 2011:

http://www.autosport...rt.php/id/88470

Didn't we hear the same last season? And the one before?

Williams seriously need a restructure in the technical department.

[MaxisOne]

Didn't we hear the same last season? And the one before?

Williams seriously need a restructure in the technical department.

Not so fast...

Im not sure you have been watching .. but i saw that williams closer to the back of the grid at the start of the season to them being regulars in the top ten by the end of the season. The breakthrough being after they fixed their windtunnel. They may have the staff but didnt have their tools calibrated properly. I wouldnt start calling for heads to roll just yet. I say give the entire dept 1 more season.

[Fastcake]

Not so fast...

Im not sure you have been watching .. but i saw that williams closer to the back of the grid at the start of the season to them being regulars in the top ten by the end of the season. The breakthrough being after they fixed their windtunnel. They may have the staff but didnt have their tools calibrated properly. I wouldnt start calling for heads to roll just yet. I say give the entire dept 1 more season.

I'm basing it upon the last few seasons which have seen the team continually languish about in the same lower midfield position, regardless of how many new designs or fresh starts or breakthroughs they make. They may have beaten their immediate rivals Force India and Sauber by the end, but I don't believe those teams advanced much in the later part of the season.

Gaining sixth this year had more to do with Luizzi getting smacked by Massa than genuinely beating Force India. I'm concerned really, always did like the team.

[wewantourdarbyback]

Bottas will be racing in GP3 next year with ART

http://www.autosport...rt.php/id/88473

[highdownforce]

Maldonado can be announced on December 4th, in Caracas
http://colunistas.ig...4-de-diciembre/

Edit, this report also claims that the sponsorship money offered by PDVSA could have a "huge" raise.

EUR 25 Million.

[Little Leaf]

Not so fast...

Im not sure you have been watching .. but i saw that williams closer to the back of the grid at the start of the season to them being regulars in the top ten by the end of the season. The breakthrough being after they fixed their windtunnel. They may have the staff but didnt have their tools calibrated properly. I wouldnt start calling for heads to roll just yet. I say give the entire dept 1 more season.

They did manage to buck the trend of the previous few years, where they started off quite well then faded throughout the season. 2010 was a bit of the opposit, in that once the engine was better understood/installed and all the software etc, and the changes to the wind tunnel, then they were regular top 10 qualifiers at least.

Maybe they need to be aggresive, certainly it has worked for Red Bull the last 2 years

[One]

EUR 25 Million.

[Francesc]

EUR 25 Million.

That's a lot of money
Biggest pay driver ever. Williams can't reject that, if it helps to develop the FW33 more, then it's welcome!