![]() The Williams FW43 in its updated livery, driven by George Russell during the 2020 Tuscan Grand Prix | |||||||||||
Category | Formula One | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Constructor | Williams | ||||||||||
Designer(s) | Doug McKiernan (Design and Development Director) David Worner (Chief Designer) [1] Jonathan Carter (Head of Design) [1] Dave Wheater (Head of Aerodynamics) | ||||||||||
Predecessor | Williams FW42 | ||||||||||
Successor | Williams FW44 | ||||||||||
Technical specifications [2] [3] | |||||||||||
Engine | Mercedes M11 EQ Performance (2020) Mercedes-AMG F1 M12 E Performance (2021) 1.6 L (98 cu in) direct injection V6 turbocharged engine limited to 15,000 RPM in a mid-mounted, rear-wheel drive layout | ||||||||||
Transmission | eight forward and 1 reverse gear seamless sequential semi-automatic shift plus reverse gear, gear selection electro-hydraulically actuated | ||||||||||
Fuel | Petronas Primax | ||||||||||
Tyres | Pirelli P Zero (dry) Pirelli Cinturato (wet) | ||||||||||
Competition history | |||||||||||
Notable entrants | Williams Racing | ||||||||||
Notable drivers |
| ||||||||||
Debut | 2020 Austrian Grand Prix | ||||||||||
Last event | 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix | ||||||||||
|
The Williams FW43 is a Formula One car constructed by Williams to compete in the 2020 Formula One World Championship. The car was driven by Nicholas Latifi and George Russell, who were in their first and second year with the team respectively. [4] Jack Aitken, Roy Nissany, Jamie Chadwick and Dan Ticktum acted as reserve and development drivers for the team. [5] [6] [7]
One of these reserve drivers, Jack Aitken, made his Grand Prix debut in the FW43 at the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix, replacing George Russell who was called up by Mercedes for the same event after Mercedes' regular driver, Lewis Hamilton, tested positive for coronavirus and was forced to miss the event as a result. [8] Russell returned to Williams for the season finale in Abu Dhabi after Hamilton was cleared to race for Mercedes in that event with Aitken returning to reserve driver. [9]
The car was designed by Doug McKiernan and Dave Wheater with new recruits David Worner and Jonathan Carter acting as Chief Designer and Deputy Chief Designer respectively. [1] The car was planned to make its competitive debut at the 2020 Australian Grand Prix, but this was delayed when several races were postponed or cancelled in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. [10] [11] The FW43 made its debut at the 2020 Austrian Grand Prix.
The pandemic also prompted the delay of technical regulations that had been planned for introduction in 2021. Under an agreement reached between teams and the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile, 2020-specification cars—including the FW43—saw their lifespan extended to compete in 2021. [12] Williams introduced the FW43B for use in 2021. [13]
The car was designed by David Worner and Jonathan Carter, both of whom are in their first year in the team having previously worked with Red Bull and Renault respectively. [1] Williams have described the FW43 as being an evolution of its predecessor, believing the FW42 was a good basis on which to design the FW43. [14]
Several major changes were made regarding the side pods. Firstly the car introduced a steep slope from the top of the side pod to the floor to as to encourage the air to reach the floor of the car. This has drawn parallels with the side pod designs seen on the Red Bull RB8 and Sauber C31 seen in 2012. Williams have also reduced the size of the air inlets on the front of the side pods and have flattened the outer surface of the side pod. The wing mirror and wing mirror supports have also seen aerodynamic refinement. [15]
After experiencing their worst season in the team's history, which included missing the first two days of pre-season testing in 2019, testing for the 2020 season went much more smoothly for Williams. George Russell commented that he believed that Williams still had the slowest car after the team finished last in the preceding season, but that it was an improvement on its predecessor, the FW42. [16]
The FW43 appeared in pre-season testing with a red, white and blue livery branded with the logo of the team's title sponsor, telecommunications company ROKiT. However, in late May, prior to the start of the delayed 2020 season, the team announced that the title sponsorship arrangement with ROKiT had been terminated and that a new livery would be revealed before the first race. [17]
Russell and Latifi qualified 17th and 20th respectively for the season-opening Austrian Grand Prix. Russell retired from the race with a fuel pressure issue, having been running in 13th place, whilst Latifi finished last of the running cars in 11th. Deputy team principal Claire Williams remarked that the team's performance marked a "turning point" in comparison to their difficult 2019 campaign. [18] Russell started 11th at the Styrian Grand Prix after a rain-affected qualifying session, narrowly missing out on Q3. This marked Williams' first Q2 appearance since the 2018 Brazilian Grand Prix [ failed verification ] and the team's best starting grid position since the 2018 Italian Grand Prix. [19] Although the car was an improvement in pace over the FW42, Williams failed to score a single point in a season primarily due to its high sensitivity while running behind other cars.[ citation needed ] Russell had good opportunities to score points, most notably at the Tuscan Grand Prix where Russell was running in 9th for long periods before ultimately finishing 11th and the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, where he crashed under the safety car whilst running 10th and in the points.[ citation needed ] In the end Williams finished in 11th place in 4 races: [20] the Austrian, Italian, Tuscan and Emilia Romagna GPs, 3 courtesy of Latifi, and 1 from Russell. This would be the first time since 1976 where Williams finished pointless in an F1 season. [21]
In March 2021, Williams introduced the FW43B, designed to compete in the 2021 season. The car had its first shakedown in February 2021 at Silverstone with George Russell and Nicholas Latifi behind the wheel. [22] Roy Nissany drove the car during the first two days of pre-season testing. He also drove the car during the first practice session of the 2021 Spanish Grand Prix. Originally, the car was to be introduced in a special AR mobile app [23] where fans could see the car in their tables or garage, but prior to the launch, the app was hacked. Thus, Williams decided to cancel the app. The car's livery pays homage to Williams' successful past, and to Sir Frank Williams, who founded the team, but left it after the 2020 Italian Grand Prix. The FW43B is the first car to compete in a full season without the Williams family managing the team. The car made its debut in the Bahrain Grand Prix. At the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, both Latifi and Russell retired, after contact with Nikita Mazepin and Valtteri Bottas respectively.
The car represented a strong step forward in qualifying and race pace to its predecessor, with Russell regularly challenging for top 10 qualifying positions, and the team narrowly missing out on points scoring positions towards the middle of the season at France and Austria. The team finally scored their first points of the season at the Hungarian Grand Prix, with Latifi and Russell finishing 8th and 9th on the road, respectively, before being promoted one place up each following Sebastian Vettel's disqualification. The result brought in 10 points and allowed the team to leapfrog Haas and Alfa Romeo to 8th place in the Constructors' Championship.
At the next race in Belgium, Russell qualified 2nd on the grid following a stunning final lap in a chaotic wet session. The following day, conditions meant that the race was delayed, ran for 3 laps under safety car conditions and then red flagged - Russell was classified in the same position, whilst Latifi benefitted from pre-race penalties to be classified 9th. Thus, Williams scored their first podium since the 2017 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, double points for the second consecutive race, and doubled their points tally to 20 points (half points awarded) to take a stranglehold over 8th in the Championship moving the team 17 points clear of the nearest rivals Alfa Romeo.
Three races later in Russia, Russell yet again took advantage of changeable weather conditions to take 3rd in qualifying. He would finish 10th in the race which would prove to be his last points finish for Williams and Williams' last point for the rest of the season.
(key)
Year | Entrant | Chassis | Power unit | Tyres | Driver name | Grands Prix | Points | WCC | ||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2020 | Williams Racing | FW43 | Mercedes-AMG F1 M11 EQ Performance 1.6 V6 t | P | AUT | STY | HUN | GBR | 70A | ESP | BEL | ITA | TUS | RUS | EIF | POR | EMI | TUR | BHR | SKH | ABU | 0 | 10th | |||||||
![]() | 11 | 17 | 19 | 15 | 19 | 18 | 16 | 11 | Ret | 16 | 14 | 18 | 11 | Ret | 14 | Ret | 17 | |||||||||||||
![]() | Ret | 16 | 18 | 12 | 18 | 17 | Ret | 14 | 11 | 18 | Ret | 14 | Ret | 16 | 12 | 15 | ||||||||||||||
![]() | 16 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2021 | Williams Racing | FW43B | Mercedes-AMG F1 M12 E Performance 1.6 V6 t | P | BHR | EMI | POR | ESP | MON | AZE | FRA | STY | AUT | GBR | HUN | BEL ‡ | NED | ITA | RUS | TUR | USA | MXC | SAP | QAT | SAU | ABU | 23 | 8th | ||
![]() | 18![]() | Ret | 18 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 14 | 7 | 9 | 16 | 11 | 19![]() | 17 | 15 | 17 | 16 | Ret | 12 | Ret | ||||||||
![]() | 14 | Ret | 16 | 14 | 14 | 17![]() | 12 | Ret | 11 | 12 | 8 | 2 | 17![]() | 9 | 10 | 15 | 14 | 16 | 13 | 17 | Ret | Ret | ||||||||
Source: [20] [21] |
Williams Grand Prix Engineering Limited, currently racing in Formula One as Williams Racing, is a British Formula One team and constructor. It was founded by Frank Williams and Patrick Head. The team was formed in 1977 after Frank Williams' earlier unsuccessful F1 operation: Frank Williams Racing Cars.
ART Grand Prix is a French motor racing team that competes in formula single-seaters in Europe. In 2012, it competed in the GP2 Series and GP3 Series as Lotus GP to reflect sponsorship from British sports and racing car manufacturer Lotus. The team competed as Lotus ART in 2011.
Formula One sponsorship liveries have been used since the 1968 season, replacing national colours. Major sponsors such as BP, Shell, and Firestone had pulled out of the sport ahead of the season, prompting the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile to allow unrestricted sponsorship. At the 1968 South African Grand Prix, South African privateer team Team Gunston became the first Formula One team to implement sponsorship brands as a livery when they entered a private Brabham car painted in the colours of Gunston cigarettes for John Love. In the next race, the 1968 Spanish Grand Prix, Team Lotus became the first works team to follow this example, with Graham Hill's Lotus 49B entered in the red, gold and white colors of Imperial Tobacco's Gold Leaf brand. With rising costs in Formula One, sponsors becoming more important and thus liveries reflected the teams' sponsors.
The Williams FW30 is a Formula One racing car, designed by Williams and introduced at the start of the 2008 Formula One season. The car is largely an evolution of the previous, 2007-season, Williams model: the FW29. As with its predecessor, the FW30 is powered by engines manufactured by Toyota. The FW30 was unveiled to the public on 21 January 2008 at the Circuit de Valencia, Spain, and made its race debut at the 2008 Australian Grand Prix in the hands of 2008 Williams drivers Nico Rosberg and Kazuki Nakajima.
The Williams FW33 was a Formula One racing car developed by Williams F1 for the 2011 Formula One season. It was driven by Brazilian veteran Rubens Barrichello and 2010 GP2 Series champion and rookie driver Pastor Maldonado. The car was shaken down at Silverstone on 28 January 2011, and made its full on-track debut at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia, Spain, on 1 February 2011 in an interim testing livery. The definitive livery was released on 24 February, adding white, silver and red to the existing dark blue in a design directly inspired by the Rothmans livery used from 1994 to 1997.
Roy Nissany is an Israeli racing driver who is currently competing in the Formula 2 Championship with PHM Racing by Charouz. He is also currently a Formula 1 test driver with Williams Grand Prix Engineering. He is the son of former racing driver Chanoch Nissany.
Nicholas Daniel Latifi is a Canadian racing driver who last raced in Formula One. Latifi made his Formula One debut in the 2020 Austrian Grand Prix and competed with Williams for three full seasons, managing to score nine championship points. Prior to that, he served as a test and reserve driver for Renault, Force India and Williams itself.
Alexander Albon Ansusinha is a Thai-British racing driver currently competing in Formula One for Williams Racing, under the Thai flag. Albon previously raced in Formula One for Scuderia Toro Rosso and Red Bull Racing and in DTM for AF Corse.
Lance Strulovitch, better known as Lance Stroll, is a Canadian–Belgian racing driver competing under the Canadian flag in Formula One. He has driven for Aston Martin since 2021, having previously driven for Williams and Racing Point. He was Italian F4 champion in 2014, Toyota Racing Series champion in 2015, and 2016 FIA European Formula 3 champion. He was part of the Ferrari Driver Academy from 2010 to 2015. He achieved his first podium finish, a 3rd place, at the 2017 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, becoming the second-youngest driver to finish an F1 race on the podium and the youngest to do so during his rookie season. At the 2020 Turkish Grand Prix, Stroll took his first pole position in Formula One. Stroll also competed in endurance racing, taking part in the 24 Hours of Daytona in 2016 and 2018.
George William Russell is a British racing driver currently competing in Formula One for Mercedes. He previously raced for Williams from 2019 to 2021, leading the team to finish eighth in the 2021 Constructors' Championship after finishing last in 2019 and 2020 respectively by scoring a podium at the wet-weather affected 2021 Belgian Grand Prix.
Jack Aitken is a British-South Korean racing driver who currently competes for Racing Team Turkey in the European Le Mans Series and for Emil Frey Racing in the ADAC GT Masters and the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup. He was a former reserve driver for Williams Racing in Formula One, having previously been part of the Renault Sport Academy and Williams Driver Academy.
The 2018 FIA Formula 2 Championship was the fifty-second season of the second-tier of Formula One feeder championship and also second season under the moniker of FIA Formula 2 Championship, a motor racing championship for Formula 2 cars that is sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). It is an open-wheel racing category that serves as the second tier of formula racing in the FIA Global Pathway. The category run in support of the 2018 FIA Formula One World Championship, with each of the twelve rounds running in conjunction with a Grand Prix. It was the first FIA Formula 2 season to feature a new chassis and engine package.
The 2018 Bahrain FIA Formula 2 round was a pair of motor races for Formula 2 cars that took place on 7 and 8 April 2018 at the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir, Bahrain as part of the FIA Formula 2 Championship. It was the first round of the 2018 FIA Formula 2 Championship and ran in support of the 2018 Bahrain Grand Prix.
The 2020 FIA Formula One World Championship was the motor racing championship for Formula One cars which was the 71st running of the Formula One World Championship. It marked the 70th anniversary of the first Formula One World Drivers' Championship. The championship was recognised by the governing body of international motorsport, the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), as the highest class of competition for open-wheel racing cars. Drivers and teams competed for the titles of World Drivers' Champion and World Constructors' Champion, respectively.
The Williams FW42 was a Formula One racing car designed by Paddy Lowe, Doug McKiernan and Dave Wheater for the ROKiT Williams Racing team, to compete in the 2019 FIA Formula One World Championship. The car made its competitive debut at the 2019 Australian Grand Prix, driven by the reigning 2018 FIA Formula 2 Champion George Russell who was making his Formula One début; and Robert Kubica, who returned for his first racing season in Formula One since 2010, after recovering from life-threatening injuries suffered in a rally car accident in early 2011.
The 2020 Austrian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race that was held on 5 July 2020 at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Austria. The race was the opening round of the 2020 Formula One World Championship, and the 34th running of the Austrian Grand Prix as well as the first of two consecutive races held at the Red Bull Ring, with the 2020 Styrian Grand Prix taking place the week after.
The 2020 FIA Formula 2 Championship was a motor racing championship for Formula 2 cars, sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The championship was the fifty-fourth season of Formula 2 racing and the fourth season run under the FIA Formula 2 Championship moniker. It is an open-wheel racing category, that serves as the second tier of formula racing in the FIA Global Pathway. The category was run in support of selected rounds of the 2020 FIA Formula One World Championship. As the championship was a spec series, all teams and drivers competing in the championship ran the same car, the Dallara F2 2018.
The 2020 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race that was held on 6 September 2020 at the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza in Monza, Italy. The race was the eighth round in the 2020 Formula One World Championship.
The 2020 Tuscan Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 13 September 2020 at the Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello in Scarperia e San Piero, Tuscany, Italy. The race was the ninth round of the 2020 Formula One World Championship and the first race of the season with spectators. As of 2023, this is the only Tuscan Grand Prix to be held.
The Williams FW44 is a Formula One racing car designed and constructed by Williams that competed in the 2022 Formula One World Championship. The car was driven by Nicholas Latifi and Alexander Albon, who were in their third and first years with the team respectively. Nyck de Vries participated in the Italian Grand Prix in the FW44, replacing Albon due to the Thai driver suffering appendicitis. The chassis is Williams' first car under the 2022 technical regulations, and their first to be developed wholly under new owners, Dorilton Capital, with Jost Capito at the helm.