Latest news with #FW47
Express Tribune
26-03-2025
- Automotive
- Express Tribune
Williams denies chassis disadvantage for Carlos Sainz amid early season F1 2025 struggles
Carlos Sainz's slow start to the 2025 F1 season triggered speculation he might be using outdated equipment at Williams. But the team has denied these claims, confirming that both Sainz and teammate Alex Albon are running the same updated FW47 chassis. According to F1 journalist Chris Medland, who addressed the issue on X, some reports suggested Sainz was driving a rebuilt 2024 chassis due to budget limitations. However, Williams clarified that the FW47 is a modified version of last year's FW46 and that both drivers are using identical equipment. 'The monocoque for 2025 is modified from the FW46, but it is the same one,' the team said. They also confirmed the team has three chassis available, ensuring Sainz isn't limited to a single option. The clarification comes amid Sainz's recent struggles on track. While Albon finished fifth in Australia and seventh in China, Sainz crashed out in Melbourne and only scored a single point in Shanghai, helped by three post-race disqualifications. Speaking to media, Sainz described the shift in performance as one of the most puzzling of his career. 'I've been very quick in testing… but I don't know where all that pace has gone,' he said. He added that despite mirroring Albon's setup changes, the results did not translate on his side of the garage. With ten days until the Japanese Grand Prix, Williams is focused on solving the setup puzzle to get Sainz back on pace.
Telegraph
15-03-2025
- Automotive
- Telegraph
Ranking the best-looking cars on the 2025 F1 grid from worst to best
With pre-season testing over and the first race of the season this weekend, we have seen all 10 of the 2025 Formula One challengers on track. Now, given most of the cars at this stage of the regulations look alike, and few if any are distinctive, this is essentially a livery ranking. Though everything aesthetic is taken into account, in some way. 10. Ferrari SF-25 There have been several attractive Ferrari liveries in recent years, perhaps peaking in 2022. The SF-25, however, is not one of them. They have changed the shade of red again, but that is not a major problem. What is an issue is the increased prominence of the HP sponsorship, which ruins the aesthetics of this car. White and blue front and rear wings I can just about live with, but the HP logo plastered behind the top airbox just ruins it. Four colours work well for Ferrari in my opinion and in this order: red, black, yellow and a very small amount of white. Blue should be nowhere near this one. In many ways it is a shame that this is how Hamilton's first Ferrari looks. 9. Williams FW47 Is the Duracell sponsorship on the airbox losing its novelty factor? I would say so. That this Williams is in ninth shows that many of these liveries are middling. The FW47 is not a bad-looking car as such, but it would be improved if the shade of blue on the nose matched the colour on the rest of the car. The white piping is a nice touch (more piping on F1 cars, please), though. A touch more red would not go amiss, either. A big part of me wants more white to replicate those mid-1990s Rothmans-sponsored Williams cars. 8. McLaren MCL39 I am always unsure whether the McLaren looks good or bad. It depends on the angle. Thankfully, developments in F1 have meant that fewer teams have so much exposed carbon fibre compared to a couple of years ago. McLaren are one of the teams who have kept a fair amount of black, though. I always thought a deep blue (there is a touch of that in places but not enough) was a good compliment to the classic 'papaya' shade of orange. It worked well in 2018, though that car was dreadfully slow. McLaren will not care what their car looks like if they can manage to win both championships this year. 7. Aston Martin AMR25 The shade of green looks a little lighter in 2025 and that is welcome. There is not much more to say on this one, as it is very much the same as last year's livery. I am struggling to spot anything significant that has changed, in fact. Minimal points for effort but at least the car has some identity in its aesthetic. 6. Red Bull RB21 We all now know what a Red Bull F1 car is going to look like. A few years ago I yearned for them to try something a little different, just for once. Now I think that would be a mistake. It is not exciting – would a yellow or red halo kill them? – but this works and takes its place firmly in F1's aesthetic midfield. 5. Sauber C45 This 2025 Sauber has attracted some criticism from observers and for reasons I cannot understand. Last year's version topped our list but partly because the novelty of a bright green and black livery was striking and uncommon. This is largely an evolution, with a bit more green. I suppose some of the criticism came because it is unadventurous. Just two colours and no real daring touches or anything remotely ambitious has been attempted. The green just fades into the black behind the driver. Still, it is at least different from the rest of the grid. 4. Haas VF-25 The Haas liveries have ranged fairly wildly in their decade or so in F1. Thankfully they have ditched the predominant grey of their early years. 2025's model is very much a variation on last year's red, white and black one but with more white than black this time. It's hard to get too enthusiastic about it but that is the case for almost all of the 2025 cars. Quite low effort, and that is probably to be expected with the final year of these regulations. Let's hope for some changes across the grid in 2026. 3. Mercedes W16 Very much a continuation of last year's car, the team have stuck with the silver/black hybrid after alternating between those two colours for a few years, with the usual licks of Petronas green. I ranked 2024's W15 in fourth, so this is only a minor upgrade. The red and the Ineos branding on the driver's airbox has gone, to be replaced by more silver. I think the beauty of this car largely depends on the angle you view it from. Its best angle is definitely from the front. 2. Alpine A525 Almost top place for trying something different from last year. In the wave of 'naked' F1 cars Alpine were the worst offenders, largely because their car was massively overweight. Thankfully they have mostly stopped that now, with the main areas of exposed carbon fibre being on top of the sidepods. And we do not often see them, so that works well enough. They could have perhaps leant into the BWT pink a little more, but from front on this is reminiscent of the Force Indias of seven or eight years ago, with just a dash of Alpine blue here and there. The pink halo works, too. 1. Racing Bulls VCARB 02 This gets top spot partly almost entirely because it is so different from the previous livery and also because it is different from the rest of the grid. There are slight Lola Mastercard vibes to the VCARB 02. It also feels like a slight variation on the Honda-inspired livery Red Bull ran for the 2021 Turkish Grand Prix. Simplicity is a plus in any F1 livery and you cannot get much more simple than white – and there is a lot of it here. The colour scheme on the nose, airbox and rear wing make it very clear that this is the Red Bull sister team, after years of their livery rather playing down that link. A sort of 'away kit' if you will and one that is better than the 'home' strip. Which car do you think is the best-looking car on the grid this season? Cast your vote and join the conversation in the comments section below
New York Times
15-02-2025
- Automotive
- New York Times
Why Williams appears poised for F1 progress with its Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon chapter
Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz sat side-by-side on stools inside the garages at Silverstone Circuit that created the makeshift studio for Williams' 2025 Formula One launch. The car was being prepared for its first running at the home of the British Grand Prix, built overnight at 4 a.m., according to team principal James Vowles, but before either driver could hop into the FW47, the new teammates played a round of what host Steve Jones, who works for Channel 4 F1, called, 'Mr. & Mr.' The game tests how well two people know each other, and some of the questions for Albon and Sainz may be surprising — such as whether they sleep in pajamas or what their go-to karaoke track is. Albon called some of the questions 'so odd' after Sainz was asked when Albon had his first kiss: 12 or 16 years old. Advertisement Neither got a perfect score, which anyone would likely agree is probably for the best. The whole production did answer one of the many questions in viewers' minds. How are Albon and Sainz gelling? After all, fans have already given them their nickname — 'Carbon' — which 'suggests cohesion, a tight-knit duo,' as Jones pointed out. With Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari, Sainz opted to sign for Grove-based Williams. It means Albon, for the first time since joining Williams in 2022, faces a more experienced teammate, unlike Nicholas Latifi, Logan Sargeant and Franco Colapinto. Williams is aiming to take a step forward this year before the regulation changes in 2026, and to do so, it'll need consistency from both drivers, working for the betterment of the team. 'This will not be successful if any one individual is above the team, that's whether it's myself, Carlos or Alex. It needs all three of us, and then a thousand individuals pointing the right way with the sole goal of this team becoming championship contenders,' Vowles said. 'And that means along the journey, there's going to be one driver or one individual that is doing worse one weekend or the other; they're aware of that, and we've already had that very direct chat about it. They're very much in that mindset.' GO DEEPER Prime Tire: Max Verstappen's big sim racing plans; McLaren and Williams drivers speak Once the Hamilton to Ferrari move was announced on Feb. 1, 2024, Sainz became the most sought-after individual in the drivers' market. He had four career wins to his name by the end of last season, which is something none of Albon's previous Williams teammates have achieved. The Spaniard is known for his methodical approach and thoughtful feedback, and he helped both McLaren and Ferrari better understand their cars when they were struggling. One would assume Albon would feel pressure, given how he's helped the team with its rebuilding efforts and largely gone unchallenged in recent seasons while scoring a majority of the team's points (four out of eight in 2022, 27 out of 28 in 2023 and 12 out of 17 last year). In F1, your stiffest competition typically is your teammate. However, he has a healthier view of the situation. 'If I'm honest, no,' Albon said. 'Maybe I look at it differently to other people, but I see it as: the better my teammate, the better that I can go up against someone who's got a big reputation, who's just come from a very strong year.' As Albon noted, 2024 was Sainz's most successful F1 campaign. Looking at stats alone, he won in Australia, just days removed from surgery after having appendicitis, and again in Mexico. He secured pole position that race and stood on the podium nine times, four of which came in the final six grands prix. Advertisement 'That's a great challenge to have but also a positive outlook for me,' Albon said. 'I believe in myself, and I'm happy to go up against anyone.' They've only done limited track running together, a recent test out in Barcelona. But Albon can already tell from 'the work we do in the simulator, it's all going in the same direction.' He feels that the two of them are similar, describing Sainz as 'a thinking driver' and putting himself in that category as well. He added, 'It's a good base to work from.' 'He's clearly bringing a lot of information from Ferrari, different ways of working and different ways to optimize their package,' Albon later said. 'It's different to Williams, but it's very interesting, not just for the team, but for myself as well.' It may still be early days, but it sounds like a more united front within the Williams camp as they continue the rebuilding process. The cohesion doesn't come as a complete surprise given the drivers' reputations. Sainz connected well with previous teammates Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc. Tension may inevitably arise when Albon and Sainz race against each other — but the bigger picture is the long-term view of this project, which is why being open is critical at this early stage. The Spaniard explained how he's 'never seen a guy that is so genuine and so open and so willing to make progress with the team and hear me, tell me about what he knows already about the team, about the car, sharing with me, 'What do you think about this? What do you think about that?', and I bounce back and ask him so many other questions.' Sainz later added, 'If we want to make this team competitive again and fight for wins again, we just need to push in the same direction and maybe sacrifice a bit of our own driver secrets or driver things that you would keep for yourself to maybe this time share them to see if we can have a faster progress.' Advertisement Vowles shared how the two drivers had worked well together, such as when the team analyzed brake maps or control systems. It differs from how Colapinto, 21, had fit into the equation. 'It brings a whole new dimension, where Franco, for all of his skill in the car, we were almost teaching him along the way what the control systems do,' Vowles said. 'We now have an expert in it that has won races, and that's brought the team up.' And there's the case of postseason testing this month. Having Sainz participate was huge for Williams. Fresh out of a Ferrari that fought for race wins and finished 14 points behind McLaren, the Spaniard could compare how the two cars felt in Abu Dhabi. Sainz said, 'I found a car that was a bit better than I expected — obviously with some deficiencies compared to the cars that I've been driving, but not massively far off.' Vowles confirmed on Friday that the team determined is on the right path — and the team principal is pleased with how morale continues to improve. 'I see an organization around me that is smiley, happy, shoulders lifted, because they can see a pathway towards success,' Vowles said. 'And that has Carlos and Alex's names all over it.' Vowles has been clear since the start of his tenure that Williams was a long-term project. Even with 2025 expected to be fairly tight, considering how things ended in Abu Dhabi, 2026 remains a big target when new rules mean cars will be smaller, lighter and more agile. 'The bias is very much towards 2026,' he said. 'On the 2nd of January, the 2026 car was in the wind tunnel and it hasn't exited since then.' But that doesn't mean Williams hasn't (or won't) work on this year's car. It managed to put a car that was on time and on the weight limit on track on Friday — a feat that it didn't accomplish last year. And we can't forget the context of last season and the team's 20 crashes across 24 race weekends. Vowles said that while that impact is not noticeable yet, 'there will be a small amount of pain, that's just the fact behind it.' Advertisement 'The best way I can summarize it to you is I don't think it will have a substantive effect on the championship, which ultimately is how we're adjudicated this year. It will have a dollar impact, but we'll deal with it.' Williams, though, does have an influx of cash coming. The team announced a new title sponsor, Atlassian, leaving McLaren as the only F1 team without one. Vowles described it as the biggest deal for Williams and one of the biggest for the sport. But the impact of this partnership is more than just the financial element. 'It's a partnership of two organizations that have very close synergies on how we act and how we behave. Everything is about collaboration and teamwork,' Vowles explained. 'It's about how you pull individuals together and point the right way. It's about being a challenger to other brands and other systems and other dynamics.' That concept — collaboration — has been a theme, not just since Vowles started at Williams but also throughout the launch on Friday. The Williams of today is different from the Williams of two years ago and the Williams of the championship eras. It's hard to say where the Grove-based team will fit in the constructor rankings this season — which Albon feels 'will be the tightest grid in Formula One history' — but progression is needed. The team has started on the right foot by correcting its early errors from last year, having one of the strongest driver lineups in its recent history, and continuing its team personnel and sponsorship growth. The Williams of tomorrow is starting to take shape. 'As a team, our main target is to keep showing progress and momentum,' Sainz said. 'As a team, we are coming off the back of very difficult years, but the last few years, you can tell the team is in an upwards trajectory. The wave is growing with the arrival of our title sponsor, Atlassian, the fact that I joined the team. 'I see progress. I see motivation. I see people wanting to get this thing back to the front of the grid. This season is all about showing that and not letting the wave stop.' Additional reporting from Luke Smith.
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Williams F1 Boss Has Plan to Get Franco Colapinto Back on the Grid
Franco Colapinto drove the final nine Grands Prix of 2024 for Williams—in place of Logan Sargeant—and scored points in two events. Alpine last month signed Colapinto as reserve driver on a multi-year deal, with Williams' blessing. Rumors persist that he will eventually take the place of Jack Doohan in the regular seat at Alpine. Williams F1 Team Principal James Vowles says Franco Colapinto will return to Williams in the future. In the meantime, Vowles hopes the Argentine will make the Formula grid with Alpine, potentially this season. Colapinto was thrust into Williams' driver lineup for the final nine Grands Prix of 2024, in place of Logan Sargeant, and scored points in two events. The 21-year-old Colapinto was unable to land a full-time race seat for 2025, with Williams having already signed Carlos Sainz to partner Alex Albon on respective multi-year deals, though other teams were interested in his services. Alpine last month signed Colapinto as reserve driver on a multi-year deal, with Williams' blessing, and rumors persist that he will eventually take the place of Jack Doohan in the regular seat at Alpine. Earlier today, Vowles said that the plan is for the 21-year-old to eventually return to Williams. 'There's a period of time whereby I hope he is racing for Alpine,' Vowles said on Friday. 'The reason why we did this is that I wanted him to be racing in '25 and or '26. It's the best chance he has is with Alpine, as far as (getting on the grid), that's why he's there. 'And I don't mean that to the detriment of Jack (Doohan). I hope Jack has a successful time. But ultimately, Franco is my driver (at Williams) that I want back in that car. After a period of time, he'll return to Williams. That period of time is not a line set in stone where I can look you in the eye and say it. But I can say he'll be back to Williams at some point.' Vowles was speaking at the unveiling of Williams' FW47 at Silverstone on Friday—in an interim livery ahead of next Tuesday's F1 season launch—and was cautious about the team's prospects this season. 'I've been very clear from the beginning that 2026 is the large year I want to make sure we put focus onto,' Vowles said, referring to next year's wide-ranging regulation changes. 'And that will have an effect on 2025, a sacrifice in some elements. For me, my head is clear. It's about the future of this organization. So, the result of that is, let's get some boots on the ground early, two experienced drivers, and pick up what we can.'
New York Times
14-02-2025
- Automotive
- New York Times
Williams F1 confident Franco Colapinto will return in future after Alpine loan
SILVERSTONE, UK – Team principal James Vowles is confident Franco Colapinto will return to Williams following his loan to Alpine, who he believes offers the Argentine the best chance of getting on the Formula One grid in the near future. Following his impressive performances for Williams through the second half of last season after replacing the struggling Logan Sargeant, Colapinto was signed by Alpine on a multi-year agreement in January, becoming its test and reserve driver for 2025. Advertisement Not only did Colapinto impress with his early displays for Williams, scoring points in two of his first four races, but he also sparked a surge in both commercial and fan interest from his native Argentina after ending the country's 23-year wait for a full-time race driver. The swoop for Colaptino appeared to put early pressure on Jack Doohan for his race seat. Doohan will start his first full season in F1 with Alpine this year after a last-minute debut at the 2024 season finale in Abu Dhabi. In announcing the deal, Alpine said it had 'entered into an agreement with Williams Racing to secure the services' of Colapinto. As part of this, Colapinto has remained part of the Williams driver family. Williams team principal Vowles said on Friday at Silverstone that Colapinto was an Alpine driver 'for a number of years,' but that 'after that point, I hope he comes back to Williams, and we'll see where we end up.' GO DEEPER What Franco Colapinto's Alpine F1 move means for his and Jack Doohan's future Asked to clarify the deal, Vowles explained that the agreement with Alpine was always intended to offer the best chance of getting Colapinto on the F1 grid as soon as possible but stated his belief that Colapinto would return to Williams. 'There's a period of time whereby I hope he is racing for Alpine,' Vowles said. 'The reason why we did this is that I wanted him to be racing in '25 and or '26. The best chance he has is with Alpine, as far as getting on the grid, that's why he's there. 'And I don't mean that to the detriment of Jack. I hope Jack has a successful time. But ultimately, Franco is my driver that I want back in that car. After a period of time, he will return to Williams. That period of time is not a line set in stone where I can look you in the eye and say it. 'But I can say he'll be back to Williams at some point.' Williams was unable to offer Colapinto a seat for 2025 as it had already signed Carlos Sainz from Ferrari to partner Alex Albon, with both drivers on long-term deals. Advertisement Sainz and Albon were on hand at Silverstone on Friday for the launch of the new Williams FW47 race car that will take part in this year's world championship. Both drivers got to sample the car for a shakedown run at the Silverstone, testing in a one-off livery ahead of the final design's unveiling in the F1 75 Live event at The O2 next week. Sainz said his first impressions of the new Williams car had been positive and felt it was a sign of the team's progress that it could hold such a public first test without any issues. 'It's a good showing to the outside world, and I think shows the progress that Williams is intending to do,' Sainz said. 'So (I'm) proud of the first day here.' Top photo:
