Each week we will preview a different F1 team and their outlook for the 2020 season. This week we'll start with our projected 10th place team, Williams, and go down all the way to our projected No. 1 team..
Overview:
Williams seems to have been in an almost never-ending rut for the past decade, often finishing last in races and last in the standings. However, now with two young, up-and-coming drivers, along with a few changes to the engineering of the car, Rokit Williams Racing has been said by McLaren’s Lando Norris to be a team within range to compete for the middle of the pack, something the team has not done consistently for the past several years.
“I think Williams [is] much closer. They’re within the battle, basically, so we need to think about them.” -Lando Norris, McLaren
The Drivers: George Russell (UK) and Nicholas Latfi (Canada)
With the youngest pair of drivers on the grid heading into 2020, Deputy Team Principal Claire Williams has to be feeling confident about her talent level in the cars. Along with that comes much less F1 experience, though, as George Russell has driven for only two years in F1 and Nicholas Latfi heading into his rookie season in the racing circuit. The question truly will boil down to can the talent overcome the lack of experience?
Both Russell and Latfi were F2 champions, with Russell winning the title in 2018 and Latfi in 2019.
In Preseason Testing…
Unlike 2019, where they missed the first two days of preseason testing, a chance for teams to try out their cars on a track before the season begins, they were the first team out on the track back in February. Time management was not the only positive that came from the six day event though. The car, which repeatedly got lapped in races last season, showed significant improvement, as they logged over 100 laps on five of the six days, and was said to be “in racing shape” as they look to compete for the points (1st to 10th place) this upcoming, shortened season.
The Past
Williams was the Mercedes of the 1980’s and 1990’s, winning nine constructor’s championships (the team title) over the course of two decades. The technology in their cars was well ahead of the majority of their rivals, and dominated on the track. Nigel Mansell was one of the big F1 stories of the 90’s as he won the individual title and helped Williams clinch the team title in 1992. However, all dynasties must come to an end, and the turn of the century certainly appeared to be that time. The team began switching drivers and engines, changing up the look of the team. 2002 appeared to be their lowest point, as Williams won only one race. It didn’t help things when Williams’ engine supplier, BMW, refused to support a signing of eventual world champion Lewis Hamilton in 2004, supposedly because of lack of funds available. Regardless of the reasoning, the losses continued to come their way, as the team switched back and forth between Cosworth and other engines.
The Future:
In other pro sports leagues such as the MLB and NBA, acquiring young talent has appeared the way to go. Everyone in the Rokit Williams team is most definitely hoping to follow that path starting in 2020. While the reality is that they will not be competing with Mercedes and Ferrari for the team title, an improved car will keep them in many more races this season, and with hope, eventually competing for the podium within the next five years as they did so many times in the 80’s and 90’s.
Quick Facts:
Headquarters are located in Wantage, United Kingdom.
The team’s first race was at the Argentine Grand Prix in 1978.
The team won its first race on home soil, the 1979 British Grand Prix.
Williams is one of the “Big Four” teams that have won every constructor’s championship since 1979. However, it is the only team still independently owned and not owned by a major auto manufacturer.
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