New car presentations: Williams FW45

Williams, the once glorious British Formula 1 team, is going through a new period of crisis that started five years ago, but now a new round of history begins for it. There are many changes ahead of the 2023 season – new and very serious partners, a refreshed car design, a new American racer and, probably most importantly, a new leader. True, James Vowles will not start work until February 20 and did not participate in the presentation of the FW45 car.

The presentation, broadcast online from the Williams base at the Grove, only showcased the car’s wartime paint and the FW45 itself won’t be ready for another week – the first run-in at the Grove is scheduled for 13 February.

But today’s event was significant in its own way, suffice to say Williams introduced several new partners, including Gulf Oil. The American oil and gas company has a rich history in motorsport, including Formula One, and now its logos adorn the rear wing end plates of Williams’ new car.

Last year Williams took last place in the Constructors’ Championship, but the common thread running through the presentation was this: in 2023, the team leadership and its drivers are seriously committed to achieving better results.

Matthew Savage, Williams Racing Chairman of the Board said: “Williams Racing’s transformation continues and we are proud to present this year’s car styling. The FW45 gives us the most enthusiastic emotions and I want to thank the whole team for their great efforts in preparation for the season.
I am delighted to welcome both new Williams partners and those with whom the partnership continues. Together with James Vowles, the new team principal, and our great drivers, Williams Racing will do everything in its power to achieve good results in 2023.”

But this is all in the offing, but for now the team is going through a transition period: the previous leaders have left, a new one has been appointed but is still preparing to take over the reins, and according to Sven Smits, Williams will be sporting director, in this stage the team rules a kind of “controlled chaos” .

Sven Smiths: “I would call it controlled chaos. Of course we still have a week at our disposal – we have a filming day scheduled, so the car will be run in for the first time, and we will spend another filming day in Bahrain before testing begins. We use this time to check various components, engine and so on.

That is why I think we can prepare well for the work in Bahrain. The FW45 is the second car I’ve been involved in and now I look at the whole process in a very different way than last year when I joined the team a few weeks before the start of the season.

But we have a lot to do now, everyone is working at full speed, because we want to stock up on spare parts before the race in Bahrain. But it seems like it was a bit easier for us a year ago, in that we tested first in Barcelona and went to the second test in Bahrain a few weeks later.”

Dave RobsonWilliams Chief Engineer: “The new Williams is an evolution of last year’s FW44. The changes are clearly visible and will still be seen, but of course changes have also been made to the design in accordance with the technical regulations of 2023, and here the main focus is on the underside of the car.

The main upgrade was the side pontoon design, which was a continuation of the changes made at Silverstone last year, but we were a bit held back by the radiator layout as we didn’t want to change it completely.”

Alex Albon: “I am very happy to start another year with this team. The car looks great, we’re going to drive it at Silverstone. The team have worked hard over the past season and over the winter months to improve a number of key parts of the car to maximize its performance in 2023, so I can’t wait to see what the FW45 can do on track.”

Logan Sargent: “The winter seemed long to me, but now I am looking forward to the start of the season. We’ve done a good job and I’m in a fighting spirit. The car looks great, confirming the huge effort the team has put in in the off-season. I am looking forward to the first run-in at Silverstone before heading to Bahrain.”

Specifications Williams FW45

Also presenting the new car as part of a discussion about the prospects for the team’s development were students from the Williams Racing Academy: Jamie Chadwick (American Indy NXT series), Zach O’Sulliven, Ollie Gray and Franco Colapinto (all Formula 3).