Williams News

[Anna]

Team Info

Base: Grove, UK
Team Principle: Frank Williams, Patrick Head, Adam Parr
Chassis: Williams FW33
Engine: Cosworth
1st Driver: #11 Rubens Barrichello
2nd Driver: #12 Pastor Maldonado
3rd Driver: Valtteri Bottas
Website: www.attwilliams.com/
Twitter: n/a
Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Williams_F1

Statistics

Year Entered: 1975
1st Grand Prix: 1975 Argentine GP
Races: 579
Wins: 113
Pole Positions: 126
Fastest Laps: 130
Points: 2674
Drivers Championships: 7(1980, 1982, 1987, 1992, 1993, 1996,1997)
Constructors Championships: 9 (1980, 1981, 1986, 1987, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997)
Current Championship Pos: 9th (5 Points)

Recent Championship Positions

2010: 6th (69 Points, 0 Wins)
2009: 7th (34.5 Points, 0 Wins)
2008: 8th (26 Points, 0 Wins)
2007: 4th (33 Points, 0 Wins)
2006: 8th (11 Points, 0 Wins)
2005: 5th (66 Points, 0 Wins)

Driver History

Patrick Neve (1977)
Alan Jones (1978-1981)
Clay Regazzoni (1979)
Carlos Reutemann (1980-1982)
Keke Rosberg (1982-1985)
Mario Andretti (1982)
Derek Daly (1982)
Jacques Laffite (1983-1984)
Jonathan Palmer (1983)
Nigel Mansell (1985-1988, 1991-1992, 1994)
Nelson Piquet (1986-1987)
Riccardo Patrese (1987-1992)
Martin Brundle (1988)
Jean-Louis Schlesser (1988)
Thierry Boutsen (1989-1990)
Damon Hill (1993-1996)
Alain Prost (1993)
Ayrton Senna (1994)
David Coulthard (1994-1995)
Jacques Villeneuve (1996-1998)
Heinz Harold Frentzen (1997-1998)
Ralf Schumacher (1999-2004)
Alessandro Zanardi (1999)
Jenson Button (2000)
Juan Pablo Montoya (2001-2004)
Marc Gene (2003-2004)
Antonio Pizzonia (2004-2005)
Mark Webber (2005-2006)
Nick Heidfeld (2005)
Nico Rosberg (2006-2009)
Alexander Wurz (2007)
Kazuki Nakajima (2008-2009)
Rubens Barrichello (2010-Present)
Nico Hulkenberg (2010)
Pastor Maldonado (2011-Present)

Engine History

Ford (1977-1983)
Honda (1983-1987)
Judd (1988)
Renault (1989-1997)
Mecachrome (1998)
Supertec (1999)
BMW (2000-2005)
Cosworth (2006, 2010-2011)
Toyota (2007-2009)

Notable Achievements

[Anna]

Italy 2011 - GP Preview - Williams Cosworth


Team quotes

Monday 5 September 2011 - 11h20, by Olivier Ferret
The fastest track in Formula One. It’s known colloquially as ‘La Pista Magica’, and with good reason: the atmosphere is second to none. The old banking, lying adjacent to the modern racetrack, gives the circuit a sense of history that can’t be found anywhere else in the world and the Italian fans are passionate about F1 and Ferrari in particular.

The cars exceed 320kph at four different points on the lap, so the combination of straight-line speed and braking stability is the Holy Grail for race engineers and drivers.

“The car feels completely different at Monza,” says Rubens Barrichello. “The lack of downforce helps acceleration and it feels like someone has put a 3-litre V10 in the back when you first go on the track. The car moves around a lot more than normal as well, but you quickly get used to it.”

Sam Michael, Technical Director: Monza is such a unique circuit that we design and manufacture front and rear wings specifically for use only at this event. The lowest drag aero set-up is used in combination with a mechanical set-up that is optimised for kerb riding. Overtaking should be common given the long straights and DRS.

Rubens Barrichello: Monza is a circuit that I like very much. Having good brakes and traction are important factors here so setting the car up becomes crucial for a good race. Having won there in the past, I really look forward to racing in Monza again. The tifosi also make it feel very special.

Pastor Maldonado: Monza is a very special circuit for me and I have great memories of winning there in Formula Renault 3.5 in 2006. I used to live very close to the track so I am looking forward to seeing many Venezuelan and Italian friends there this weekend. It is a wonderful track, especially because it is so quick, one of the quickest of the year. It is a low downforce circuit so you need a good aero balance for that. As we showed at Spa-Francorchamps, our car is working well on these types of tracks so I hope to be in the points again this weekend.

From Cosworth’s perspective: The Italian Grand Prix continues Formula One’s run of power circuits with the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza providing the ultimate test of an F1 engine. Monza’s place on the calendar immediately after Spa-Francorchamps - which comes a close second to Monza in terms of its position on F1’s power charts - makes this one of the most exciting and challenging phases of the season for Cosworth.

The Monza circuit is made up of fast straights and tight chicanes which demand the lowest downforce settings of the season, bringing engine power to the fore. Drivers spend over three-quarters of the lap at full throttle, delivering the fastest average speed of the season and top speeds of over 340km/h down the 1.2km main straight. Teams often develop Monza-specification aero packages to minimise drag. Brakes will be tested rigorously, particularly with the aggressive deceleration into the slow first gear chicane at turns one and two, while a good exit from the quick Curva Parabolica, the final corner of the lap, is important to give a smooth run down the Rettifilio main straight.

Pastor Maldonado’s performance at the Belgian Grand Prix represented a welcome return to the points for AT&T Williams and Cosworth, and particularly pleasing at a power track, so Cosworth hopes for more of the same at Monza this weekend.

From Pirelli’s perspective: Monza is obviously a very important occasion for all of us at Pirelli, as it is only half an hour down the road from our headquarters in Milan and it’s a circuit that has played a key role in our motorsport history. We’re bringing the P Zero Yellow soft tyres and the P Zero White medium tyres to the grand prix, which should be well matched to the high-speed characteristics of the track. The important thing for the teams will be finding the right compromise between performance and durability, and coming up with a set-up and strategy to suit that.

[Anna]

William Cosworth


Objectives P1
Evaluate Monza aero package
Tyre runs

OBJECTIVES P2
Continued evaluation of Monza aero package
Determine optimum rear wing level
Tyre runs and set-up work

Sam Michael, Technical Director: Today we evaluated different rear wing levels over long runs to set our level correctly for the race. With high temperatures predicted all weekend, we also had to check all the cooling systems onboard. Both the medium and soft tyres are working well, but there is some blistering evident that we’ll have to manage during the race.

Rubens Barrichello: We weren’t fast enough today unfortunately. We need to work hard tonight to see what we can do this weekend.

Pastor Maldonado: It was a hard day and it’s been very hot. We completed our programme so that is positive but we need to work hard to get a good balance for qualifying and the race.

[Anna]

Williams Cosworth


Pastor Maldonado and Rubens Barrichello finished in 11th and 12th positions for AT&T Williams at the Italian Grand Prix today. After making a good start off the line, Rubens got caught up in a first lap incident as Tonio Liuzzi lost control of his HRT and made contact with both Nico Rosberg and Vitaly Petrov. After avoiding the initial action, Rubens picked up damage to the front wing of his Williams-Cosworth FW33. During a brief safety car period as the marshals cleared the track, Rubens pitted for a new nose and fresh set of tyres before steadily making his way back through the order after the restart to finish in 12th. Pastor also made a clean start from 14th on the grid and after avoiding the first lap incident, was running in seventh ahead of his first pitstop. After losing time during the second stint on the softer compound tyres, he finished the race in 11th place.

Sam Michael, Technical Director: We didn’t have the pace to score points today. Rubens was caught up in the first corner incident through no fault of his own but recovered the car to change his front wing. He then began chasing up to the back of the pack during the safety car, although not making it to the back of the field as the race restarted. From that point onwards, we had him scheduled to make just one more stop to try to take advantage if something unusual happened. Pastor had a great position after the safety car and a decent first stint, but we didn’t have the pace in the following stints to hold on to the position. Our focus is now on Singapore to put the next upgrade on the car for the remaining races.

Pastor Maldonado - P11: I had a great start and made up a lot of positions while also avoiding the accident. The pace at the beginning was quite strong, but in the second stint we started to lose time and it was difficult to maintain that good rhythm. At the end of the race we had a consistent pace but unfortunately it just wasn’t quick enough.

Rubens Barrichello - P12: I had a brilliant start, gaining three or four positions as we headed into the first corner, but then I saw an HRT come past. I was lucky he didn’t hit me but I was then in the middle of the action and so had to stop the car. I didn’t hit anyone, but when Rosberg started to move he hit my nose, it was a difficult situation. It’s a shame I got caught in that, as with the pace and the strategy I could have scored some points for the team today.

[kelli52]

Sep.16 (GMM) The rumour mill is rumbling on Friday with the news Kimi Raikkonen made a visit to F1 team Williams’ Oxfordshire factory.

The sport10.at (Austria) and plaza.fi (Finland) websites said the multiple world championship winning British team had confirmed the 2007 world champion was given a tour.

Reports said it was Adam Parr who showed world rally driver and former Sauber, McLaren and Ferrari driver Raikkonen, 31, around the Grove facility.

The Finnish broadcaster MTV3 also reported the news and said Williams had confirmed Raikkonen’s visit indeed took place last week.

The reports said Raikkonen’s visit was for “personal reasons”, but speculation that he might one day return to formula one has been circulating ever since he left the sport at the end of 2009.

Williams’ Pastor Maldonado is regarded as having a solid seat but the Venezuelan rookie’s teammate Rubens Barrichello is still seeking a deal for 2012.

“We are talking day by day so we just need to see,” Brazilian veteran Barrichello told The Sun newspaper at Monza.

“I wish we had done a deal already but it’s taking a little longer. The team is taking everything into account and they know what I can offer,” he said.

Earlier this month the official WRC website reported, “Raikkonen’s ICE 1 Racing will play no further part in the battle for the World Rally Championship manufacturers’ title following its exclusion from the series due to its no show on Rally Australia.”

[Anna]

Struggling Williams keeps pushing with more upgrades for Singapore Grand Prix
Monday, September 19th 2011, 10:55 GMT

Williams will evaluate a new front wing and diffuser changes in Friday practice at the Singapore Grand Prix as it strives to improve its performance.

The team is currently ninth in the constructors' championship, with just three points finishes to its name all season. Rubens Barrichello's ninth places in Monaco and Canada are its best results of 2011 so far.

Technical director Sam Michael will leave the team after Singapore, ready for a new role as McLaren's sporting director from 2012. He said Williams was continuing to push forward with developments to try and get out of its current plight.

"We have an upgraded diffuser and a new front wing assembly for the first of the flyaways," he said. "We'll test both of them on Friday."

Pastor Maldonado was able to run sixth in the last race at Monza following a fast start and a safe passage through the first-corner collision. But his pace was not strong enough to hang on to that position and he fell to 11th. He hopes that the revised car will allow him to be more competitive in Singapore - especially as he has a reputation as a street circuit specialist.

"I really like street circuits so I think I can be quick there," said Maldonado.

"We have some upgrades for this race that we hope will be a big improvement and help us better our last result."

[Anna]

2011 end of term report – Williams Cosworth


5 points, 9th in the constructors’ championship

Saturday 10 December 2011 - 08h37, by Sandrine Bouchard
Williams Cosworth was probably the biggest disappointment of the 2011 season. The ambitious technical direction taken by the team proved a failure as the car was neither competitive nor reliable. The team arguably endured one of the worst seasons of its entire history. It scored only five points and finished 9th in the constructors’ championship… its worst ranking since 1978.

Season review

For the first time since 1981, Williams had no European driver in its line-up. To make up for the loss of major sponsors, the team hired Pastor Maldonado and PDVSA dollars. In the meantime, Patrick Head sold most of his shares and the team floated on the German stock exchange.

When it was launched, the FW33 drew a lot of attention. It featured a thin rear-end and some innovative solutions. Its track debut was promising with a fastest time in testing at Jerez. However, massive disappointment awaited the team in Australia. The car didn’t perform as expected and also proved unreliable. Williams had to wait till the third round of the season to finish a race. Points took even longer to come… Barrichello scored the team’s first two points at Monaco. The result could have been even better, if Maldonado had not been taken out of the race. The experienced Brazilian scored two more points in Canada while Maldonado scored his first ever point in Belgium. It was the last point scored by a Williams in 2011 and meant the team finished far behind Toro Rosso in the championship.

The failure of the FW33 project forced the team to take some action. Technical director Sam Michael resigned in May and left the team after the Singapore Grand Prix. Chief aerodynamicist Jon Tomlinson also quit. In the meantime, Mark Gillan and Mike Coughlan were hired. The latter was promoted to the role of technical director in October. Jason Somerville is the new head of aero.

Conclusion

Five points scored in 2011 to 69 in 2010… Williams slipped down the order and will do everything it can to forget such a nightmarish season.

Perspective

The staff changes and the conclusion of a partnership with Renault are the first steps taken by the team to climb back up the field and perform at the level it should do. Pastor Maldonado will stay with the team but the identity of his teammate remains to be revealed. Rubens Barrichello has repeated many times how much he would like to stay on board but the team doesn’t seem so keen on retaining his services. Adrian Sutil and Valtteri Bottas are the two main contenders for his seat.

Highs
Renault will be its engine supplier in 2012
Recruitment of Mike Coughlan, Mark Gillan and Jason Somerville

Lows
Lacklustre performances
Poor reliability

Nextgen-Auto.com marks:
Olivier Ferret : 6/20
D.Thys : 10/20
Sandrine Bouchard : 11/20
Jean-Michel Setbon : 4/20
Average mark on the forum Nextgen-Auto.com : 6/20
Total : 37/100

[Anna]

Williams shakedown cancelled due to bad weather

3 February 2012

Williams called off its car shakedown of Thursday due to poor weather conditions, the team has confirmed to GPUpdate.net. Valtteri Bottas had travelled to Spain for the run.

The first outing of the FW34 was supposed to take place at the IDIADA testing facility – approximately an hour’s drive south-west of Barcelona – but a press representative of the team in England has now explained that the shakedown did not happen.

Rain has blighted much of Spain’s Catalonia region this week and some mountainous towns have already been affected by snow. When asked if the shakedown will be switched to Friday, a Williams spokesperson explained:

"There are no plans to run today. The car has now gone on to Jerez for running on Tuesday."

Testing in Jerez will begin with Pastor Maldonado before Bruno Senna steps into the cockpit of the Renault-powered car on Thursday.