Williams F1: Déjà Vu & Season Concerns

GROVE – After last season, many F1 fans thought that the traditional brand from Great Britain could be among the fastest teams on the grid after many years.

The first positive sign could have been the decision that came in 2024. But that was not done by Williams, but by Carlos Sainz, who was looking for a new team after being kicked out by Ferrari. However, the only real options for him were the fledgling Audi, wild waters in Alpine with seasoned shark Flavio Briatore and an ambitious project led by the even more ambitious James Vowles.

The Spanish “el matador” was finally exchanged by Maranello for Grove, and a ride with many question marks began. They were mainly connected with the last season, in which Williams did not have too much ambition. Despite this, Sainz managed to capture two podiums and finished right behind the elite four top teams in the Constructors’ Cup.

But the certainty should have been the current days, in which we enthusiastically watch (due to the transparency of the testing, rather listen) the beginning of the tests in Barcelona. This was supposed to be the moment that, years later, would bring the famous brand the long-awaited breakthrough back among the F1 elite.

And if not penetration, then at least a glimpse. At least a brief glimpse. However, the moments to which the entire team focused their attention for about two years are slowly turning into a nightmare, and waking up from it will be an extremely difficult task for Williams.

Black horse

For many months now, news has been spreading among the fans that the biggest favorite of the new era will be Mercedes, whose main weapon is supposed to be the power unit. The question automatically arose as to whether buyers of its engines would have a huge advantage together with the factory team. The services of the famous German car manufacturer are currently used by McLaren, from this season Alpine, and the aforementioned Williams.

This forecast was recently shared by former Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko. He stated that, according to him, these teams will really have an advantage and predicted that, for example, the current world champion Lando Norris will be able to speak again in the fight for the title.

Marko also mentioned Williams, who until recently was the subject of reports that some even interpreted as being one of the dark horses of the season. “I’m afraid it will be someone using a Mercedes engine. So it could be Lando Norris again. Williams is also said to be making quite a bit of progress.” said Marko.

Overweight and dire predictions

However, the reality could not be further away. A few days ago, speculations broke out in full about the fact that Williams would not be able to attend any of the test days in Barcelona. The rumors finally materialized into reality last Friday when the team released a statement on their social media confirming their absence.

The new week has brought more news and it looks like Williams’ problem is very serious. Their car did not pass the FIA ​​crash tests. This was not a problem for the teams in previous years, but when the rules were changed, not only Williams but also Aston Martin, who finally met the standard, fumbled in this regard.

However, according to speculation, the ensemble, which is named after founder Frank Williams, failed the tests after three attempts. In order to make the psychological breakdown of the fans complete, it is also said that the single-seater will be hugely overweight, which should range from 20 to 30 kilograms. If it was the first number, it could mean an abysmal loss of six tenths. For one single round…

Already seen

But every coin has two sides. In the case of Williams, we are not talking about a top team for a long time, despite the undeniable history. If something similar happened to, say, Ferrari or Mercedes, it would be an even bigger failure.

In addition, fans have already become accustomed to similar problems with this team. Before the 2019 season, he essentially missed two and a half days of the three available for testing. The 2024 season also started infamously, when Williams had problems with spare parts, and Logan Sargeant did not enter the Grand Prix after Alex Albon’s accident in Australia, which destroyed the chassis.

These failed moments were no surprise at the time. Williams struggled for a long time and was among the smallest and poorest teams on the grid. In 2023, James Vowles took the helm, who came with a lot of ideas, enthusiasm and, above all, twelve years of experience that he gathered at Mercedes.

But only after his arrival did he understand how bad the overall structure of the team was. That is also why he subsequently decided to direct his attention to the future. For the moment that shuffles the cards, that makes the first last and the last first. That moment has come right now, but as we mentioned above, reality has fallen short of expectations.

Vowles will thus face probably the greatest pressure he has experienced during his time at Williams. The long-term plan, which was also helped by the great cooperation with the title sponsor – the software company Atlassian, received a huge blow, and the road to the glory of motorsport thus seems much more difficult than it looked just a few weeks ago.

If these problems are not resolved in time and the season really turns into a nightmare for Williams, it could mean another fall to the bottom. The aforementioned Sainz’s contract should end after next season, and this year should be the one to finally convince him that the British stable is the right place for his effort to return to the best.

As quickly and famously as he started at Williams, so quickly and infamously can his tenure end. The fans of the traditional team have no choice but to believe that the favorite Spanish pilot will not be some kind of symbol of an attempt to reverse the course, which, however, will result in a hard collision with an unpleasant reality.

• Author: © List/ Milan Stano
• Instagram/williamsf1official
• Source: Sports shoes