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Williams Racing 2021 (Technical Thread)


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#1 JordanIreland

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Posted 05 January 2021 - 16:22

Interesting to see that Williams will be buying into more Mercedes parts moving forward. Is this the start of a B-Team. Such an approach worked well for Racing Point.

https://www.autospor...parts-from-2022

Either way, it should help the team move forward and seems very logical until the team gets works support.

Very positive start to 2021.

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#2 SparkPlug86

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Posted 05 January 2021 - 16:51

This is a good move for Williams. It does go against the Williams ID a bit, but in honesty, they need to do what they can to start moving up the grid. Nothing to say they can't get back to making their own bits in the future.



#3 masa90

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Posted 05 January 2021 - 18:04

Only right move. Even being Mercs b- or hell even c-team makes them able to challenge for points regularly. They are so far ahead with their tech it is hilarious. Other good thing is that using the best parts in those areas gives Williams more time and ability to fix those multiyear problems in their own stuff.



#4 Paco

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Posted 05 January 2021 - 19:43

Only right move. Even being Mercs b- or hell even c-team makes them able to challenge for points regularly. They are so far ahead with their tech it is hilarious. Other good thing is that using the best parts in those areas gives Williams more time and ability to fix those multiyear problems in their own stuff.


That’s one way to look at it. As sad as that is. They’ll never fix their stuff internally, running a dual program of buyer and developer is not going to happen. This is more a play by the new owners to move them up artistically and see for a higher value in the cost effective era. No actual engineering ambition or strive to take on competition of their merit. Just a travel team now with a great promising driver...

Sad but not unexpected.

#5 shure

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Posted 05 January 2021 - 19:59

That’s one way to look at it. As sad as that is. They’ll never fix their stuff internally, running a dual program of buyer and developer is not going to happen. This is more a play by the new owners to move them up artistically and see for a higher value in the cost effective era. No actual engineering ambition or strive to take on competition of their merit. Just a travel team now with a great promising driver...

Sad but not unexpected.

Agree it's a bit sad but OTOH Williams have been a bit of a disaster for the last few years.  Clearly doing everything in-house isn't reaping any rewards.  It's not like they're only being beaten by the likes of Mercedes.  In the last decade they've had two good seasons where they finished 3rd, but otherwise they've been hovering between 8-10th best team on the grid.  Or put another way, they're hovering around last of the teams.  It's a sad fate for such a historic team but maybe by streamlining they can focus on getting back up the grid



#6 Little Leaf

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Posted 05 January 2021 - 20:54

Well thatdidn't take long! As sad as this is, going against the DNA of the team in some ways, it is a sensible move.

 

As long as they don't just copy the aero of the Merc like RP did.



#7 ARTGP

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Posted 05 January 2021 - 21:26

If I'm not mistaken, all that's happened is they move from power unit supply to power unit  + gearbox supply.  Did I misread something? Quite a lot of doom and gloom for Williams deciding to buy gearboxes. 



#8 FNG

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Posted 05 January 2021 - 21:50

they are about 3 year too late with this approach. But it is needed



#9 Paco

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Posted 06 January 2021 - 00:16

If I'm not mistaken, all that's happened is they move from power unit supply to power unit + gearbox supply. Did I misread something? Quite a lot of doom and gloom for Williams deciding to buy gearboxes.


And no doubt rear end parts that have been behind on. Realistically

If it were just gearbox, so be it and that would be fine. Realistically can see it easily being any allowed parts...

#10 Beri

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Posted 06 January 2021 - 10:58

As said on the previous thread:

 


They should have. Williams have their hands completely full for years. They need to reduce the size of their plate and focus on aerodynamics. The chassis is nonsensically bad for it to have the best power unit on the grid and be a last place car.
 
See my reply below..
 

I'm not so sure about that. Williams should focus on getting out of the hole they're in now. No matter how, they should regain, at least, midfield status. ASAP. Once they've reached that point, they can start thinking about how they envision their future, but what is sure is that nothing is worse than being dead last, with only one point scored in the last two seasons.
 
Whilst I agree that Williams can now turn their attention away from this part of development, it was nothing really holding Williams back much. Yes the gearbox wasnt state of the art. But a carbon casing is not something that would bring a second a lap. Or even half a second a lap.
Their gearbox was already the same for some years. So I cant say that I think there went a lot of effort, aside from the obvious budget and production hours, into it.
The acquisition of the drivetrain of Mercedes is a logical step. But to say it is well overdue or that Williams was down on performance because they didnt before, is something I refuse to agree upon because of the above. And this is the main thing many of us tend to believe; Williams performance was poor because they did build their own gearbox.
 
Aside from that, the melodramatic commebts on Williams not being a fully pledged privateer anymore is giving me the creeps as well. For how many years Williams has used a Hewland gearbox during the 70s and 80s? They were a privateer then. And they still are now. No change in that to me.


#11 BRG

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Posted 06 January 2021 - 12:45

According to some, it was only the lack of a Mercedes gearbox that was holding Williams back from being WCC.  So this is all good. Except that it will make little real difference.



#12 Beri

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Posted 06 January 2021 - 16:36

I knew I could've used less words to make my point

#13 B3ndy

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Posted 06 January 2021 - 16:54

I think I read somewhere that this will commit Williams to the same design philosophy as Merc due to rear suspension points. If thats true that will limit their design independence a touch but it won't be the first time they have used off the shelf parts. A long overdue change.

 

Shame for the gearbox designers at Grove, hope they can be reused somewhere in the company,



#14 bargeboard

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Posted 06 January 2021 - 18:06

Always the same folks with the hyperbolic garbage on both sides of the equation.

 

Hopefully Williams spends less on the Merc parts, allowing them to deploy more resources where they need them. Fingers crossed. 



#15 JordanIreland

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Posted 09 January 2021 - 20:21

https://www.williams...ership-for-2022

 

In the news item regarding Williams increased partnership with Mercedes it states "Williams Racing is pleased to confirm it has expanded its technical collaboration with Mercedes to include the supply of certain transferable components from 2022.". 

 

Is there any formal list, as to what these components might be? Does the FIA publish this list?



#16 Clatter

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Posted 09 January 2021 - 21:10

This is a good move for Williams. It does go against the Williams ID a bit, but in honesty, they need to do what they can to start moving up the grid. Nothing to say they can't get back to making their own bits in the future.

 


The Williams ID left with the sale of the team. In the last few years it was probably their pride that has kept them firmly planted at the bottom.

#17 Clatter

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Posted 09 January 2021 - 21:14

If I'm not mistaken, all that's happened is they move from power unit supply to power unit  + gearbox supply.  Did I misread something? Quite a lot of doom and gloom for Williams deciding to buy gearboxes. 

 


I doubt it will stop there. I'm expecting them to use other allowed components as well.

#18 DeKnyff

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Posted 09 January 2021 - 23:05

According to some, it was only the lack of a Mercedes gearbox that was holding Williams back from being WCC.  So this is all good. Except that it will make little real difference.

Using components from the best car on the grid doesn't seem a bad idea to me.



#19 TheWilliamzer

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Posted 10 January 2021 - 10:06

I think using Merc's wind tunnel can be a bigger gain than any part purchase



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#20 MortenF1

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Posted 10 January 2021 - 10:19

I don’t consider Williams as Williams anymore, so I don’t feel any dissapointment from this.
The rumours about them joining forces again with Renault were off the mark then.