Williams became the second team on the grid to reveal their 2018 challenger, the FW41. The car was unveiled at an event in London last evening.
The FW41 will have Paddy Lowe’s and aerodynamics chief Dirk de Beer’s influence for the first time, as both joined at the beginning of the last season.
Powered by Mercedes engine, the 2018 version features a significant change in its aero package as it was one of the major shortcomings in FW40 last year.
Lowe said: “The car has many new features, most of which are not all that obvious, but externally, the team has pursued a very different aerodynamic concept which has allowed us some significant progress in aerodynamic performance,”
“All Formula 1 cars are an evolution of what has gone before to some extent, but the FW41 does involve a number of departures from the directions that have been pursued in the past.
“Overall, the philosophy we are starting to see emerge is a new approach to the collaboration between aerodynamics and design to achieve the optimum working result.
“Aerodynamics, structure and weight are the three major trades to be made in designing a Formula 1 car, and all the work, alongside a number of radical changes to the car’s packaging to incorporate further developments from Mercedes HPP, has led us to the FW41 being revealed today.
“We hope that this car will make progress in the performance rankings relative to 2017.”
Lance Stroll and F1 rookie Sergey Sirotkin are the team’s primary drivers while Robert Kubica will take care of the development driving, testing and the reserve driver duties.
Deputy team principal Claire Williams added: “I am thrilled to be back and launching our new car, for a new season, with a new, exciting driver line-up.
“For many months, the team has put a tremendous amount of effort into the FW41 and I’m eager to see both Lance and Sergey take to the track later this month.”
Since the beginning of the V6 era, Williams used to be a prominent name on the podium and came third in the team’s standings in 2014 and ’15. It took the fifth place in 2016 and ’17. The outfit was 104 points short of the fourth-placed Force India in the previous season.
