Brendan Lines

February 17, 2020

Williams are the latest team to lift the covers off its 2020 challenger the FW43 with an online reveal today from its factory in Wantage, UK, ahead of the Australian Grand Prix in March.

Williams 2020 challenger the FW43 – Image: WilliamsF1

Described by the team as a evolution of the 2019 FW42, the FW43 will have to make up for a lot of lost ground from the aerodynamic deficiencies of the ’42 that left Williams languished with only a single Championship point last season.

Team Principle Claire Williams said the new look of FW43 is a fresh start for the once dominant team.

“This year marks a fresh start for the team. We have spent time addressing our areas of weakness and have ensured that we have the right people, structures, procedures and resource in place to deliver competitive race cars. We are all committed to re-building Williams and returning the team to competitiveness. As such, our 2020 campaign is about making progress. The fighting spirit is still very much alive, and this year, everyone will continue that fight until we get back to where we want to be,” she said.

With a driver line up that sees rookie Nicholas Latifi join George Russell, who in just his second season of Formula 1 becomes the teams default leader on track.

The team will rely on Russell’s familiarity and carry over performance from last years car, as Williams make use of the current stability in regulations from 2019 to 2020.

Williams 2020 challenger the FW43 – Image: WilliamsF1

Chief Engineer Adam Carter says the stability in regulations meant less resources to new design concepts.

“The decision to retain some of the core architecture of the FW42 means there has been less resource invested in developing new concepts, which in turn has rewarded the design team with greater bandwidth to optimise their work, evident in both packaging and component detail. By preserving some key parameters, it has allowed for an uninterrupted development programme within Aerodynamics in order to maximise the efficiency of the resources. As we head towards the pre-season tests and then onto the race season, the most important measure will be the progress relative to our peers, along with our intention of continuing our recent record of reliability,” he said.

Last years Australian Grand Prix did not start well for the UK outfit as George Russell said there was a ‘fundamental problem’ with the car on its very first put laps around Albert Park.

George Russell and former Williams, now Renault test driver Robert Kubica 15th and 16th place a whopping three laps off the pace set the tone for Williams’ 2019 season.

But with further sponsor dollars visible on the FW43 there is a breath of confidence around the FW43 for much better results in 2020.

The FW43 will turn a wheel for the first time at pre-season testing at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on February 19th.