Along With a New Livery, New Driver and A New Team Principle, Williams Racing Heads Into 2023 With A Lot of Buzz.
The third team to start their campaign with a launch, Williams showed off an updated blue and red livery adorned with many new sponsors at their Grove base, before their FW45 car debuts hitting the track next Monday.
In a special unveiling ceremony at the company’s Grove headquarters in the United Kingdom, Williams revealed their new look in the presence of the refreshed driver line-up of American rookie Logan Sargeant and incumbent driver Alex Albon.
The team enter 2023 not just with a rookie driver, but a rookie Team Principal as well, with James Vowles moving over from his role as Motorsport Strategy Director at Mercedes to take the reins at Williams, following the departure of Jost Capito and Technical Director FX Demaison over the winter.
With the physical Williams FW45 set to hit the track in a Silverstone shakedown on February 13, the team confirmed that they had “taken the opportunity to heavily evolve the sidepod concept” on the new car thanks to “optimising the power unit cooling layout” – Williams continuing with Mercedes power for a 10th consecutive season.
The team also promised that the FW45 would be more aerodynamically efficient than its FW44 predecessor, with modifications to the front suspension layout and major external aerodynamic surfaces also incorporated into the new machine’s design.
Another notable addition to the livery is the Gulf logo, with the oil company joining forces with another F1 team after its partnership with McLaren ended in 2022.
Albon – one of 2022’s stand-out performers in his first season with Williams – said: “The team has worked really hard last year and over the winter to address some key areas in our car, putting in the work to try and maximise what we get out of the car for 2023, so I’m looking forward to seeing what the FW45 can do. We also welcome new partners to the team this year, so it’s great to have them onboard.”
Williams Racing FW45 Livery
“I’m super motivated and we’ve put a lot of hard work in. The car is looking amazing and it shows the huge effort the team has put in the off season, so I’m looking forward to getting started at Silverstone before heading out to Bahrain.”
Albon and Sargeant are both set to shake down the FW45 at Silverstone on February 13 under the watchful gaze of Williams ambassador and 2009 world champion Jenson Button, before the team decamp to Bahrain for pre-season testing on February 23-25.