Williams Racing FW46
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Photo credit: Williams
Williams Racing FW46
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Photo credit: Williams
Williams Racing FW46
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Photo credit: Williams
Williams Racing FW46
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Photo credit: Williams
Williams Racing FW46
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Photo credit: Williams
Logan Sargeant, Williams Racing
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Photo credit: Williams
Alex Albon, Williams Racing
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Photo credit: Williams
Alex Albon, Williams Racing
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Photo credit: Williams
Alex Albon, Williams Racing
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Photo credit: Williams
Alex Albon, Williams Racing
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Photo credit: Williams
James Vowles, Williams Racing
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Photo credit: Williams
Logan Sargeant, Williams Racing
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Photo credit: Williams
Logan Sargeant, Williams Racing
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Photo credit: Williams
Logan Sargeant, Williams Racing
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Photo credit: Williams
Alex Albon, Williams Racing
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Photo credit: Williams
Logan Sargeant, Williams Racing
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Photo credit: Williams
White tracksuits, new sponsors and a presentation in style with New York in the background. Williams' season kicked off with the launch of the new livery that will accompany the team in 2024, which recalls the usual shades of blue already seen in previous championships.
A chromatic continuity which, however, is not reflected on a technical level. Even if the British team has not unveiled the FW46, which will make its debut on February 20th during a filming day that will precede the start of pre-season testing, the drivers have already revealed the first details on the new single-seater , especially from a driving point of view.
In both 2022 and 2023, the new cars made at Grove had easily identifiable characteristics and strengths, starting from high top speeds and low aerodynamic resistance. Last season, these aspects allowed us to achieve important results on certain tracks suitable for the single-seater, especially with Alex Albon, skilled in maximizing the potential of the package which then allowed us to achieve a precious seventh place in the constructors' championship.
The new Williams livery for the 2024 season
Photo by: Williams
However, although the British team was able to build on those strengths, certain weaknesses became apparent in other rounds of the championship, especially in terms of total load and tire management. In qualifying certain limits were less evident thanks to the use of new tyres, but often in the race the drivers had to fight against overheating of the tyres, having to rely on high top speeds and low resistance to defend their position.
This is why Williams' 2023 was a year of opposites. On the one hand, it was easy for the engineers to understand which tracks were to aim for in order to collect crucial points for the classification, but on the other, for the drivers the FW45 did not always prove to be a predictable car from a driving point of view . Despite the improvements made which led the team to permanently compete for a place in the midfield, there were still aspects to work on and, precisely from this point of view, according to the pilots, considerable differences could already be felt from the work on the simulator.
“I think last year gave me more confidence, but also better chemistry with the team. In the first year you work a lot to understand the team, how the car works and the team tries to understand what you like [dal punto di vista della guida]while in the second year you start to integrate better”, explained Albon on the sidelines of the presentation of the livery for the new season.
“Hopefully this year we can continue to build from here, find what areas to improve on because there's always an opportunity to take a step forward. We will also try to understand how this new car will behave, because I believe there will be big differences from a driving style point of view. We also hope in terms of performance.”
The new Williams livery for the 2024 season
Photo by: Williams
Since the beginning of 2023, James Vowles has never hidden that much of the attention of the team's top management was already directed towards the following season, both on a technical and organizational level. However, the challenge for seventh place in the constructors' category required a double effort, because achieving a good position in the standings allowed us to collect a higher prize money, useful for convincing Dorilton Capital to continue investing in the factory.
“Last year it was quite difficult to manage the situation, because we were so focused on the championship trying to get seventh place that we couldn't distract ourselves too much in terms of simulator work for 2024,” added the Anglo-Thai driver.
“We tried to divide the work, then gradually during the season we started to focus on the FW46, but we also have some excellent drivers dedicated to the simulator who carried out the work behind the scenes. It was good to see the progress of the car. Clearly we can't know specifically until we hit the track in Bahrain, but [dal simulatore] It seemed like a pleasant car to drive.”
Compared to previous years, the team has changed its approach in the design phase, allowing itself a few more risks, with the aim not only of increasing the overall load, but also improving some aspects in terms of vehicle dynamics. An element that should not be underestimated, not only because the hope is that it will turn into greater confidence for the driver, but also because they should contribute to making progress in terms of tire management.
The new Williams livery for the 2024 season
Photo by: Williams
“I think that over the last four or five years, the car has always been designed in certain ways. This year we changed path, which is why we are talking about such a different car. We took more risks to break away from our old habits. It's the right thing to do, now we'll understand if it worked,” added Albon.
Also on the same wavelength is his teammate, Logan Sargeant, in his second year in Formula 1 after having also been confirmed for 2024. The goal is to continue to build on what he learned last season, but to start well it will be essential to understand the characteristics of the new single-seater as quickly as possible.
“I think that now with a year behind me I have learned a lot, I have a reference on every track I have gone to and this is an important advantage as I enter my second season. The new car will be very different from last year and it will be important to understand it as best as possible as quickly as possible. We will certainly have to change the driving style, but we have already started doing so on the simulator, it seems like a pleasant car to drive”, said the American driver.
“I think the goal is to take a step forward as far as I'm concerned, but also maximize the package, find more consistency.”
Watch: F1 Videos | Williams FW46: here is the livery
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