Williams is the second team to reveal their 2024 challenger. On February 20th at Sakhir, FW46 will complete two filming days (200km) granted to the teams.
Today, the Grove-based team instead removed the veil, only revealing their livery for 2024. Only a show car was used to show the new colour scheme for Alexander Albon and Logan Sargeant’s new cars.
Williams livery: Honoring history with an eye to the future
Williams held an event in New York City to celebrate this event. This event is always commercially important for Formula 1 teams. There is no surprise in Williams’ colour scheme, which will adopt the classic blue in different shades.
The press release highlights the play of colours with a gradient that progressively leads from Heritage Navy Blue to New Era Williams.
There will also be red and white stripes, taking up some colours from the past of historic Williams, such as that of 1985, the FW10, driven by Nigel Mansell and Keke Rosberg or the FW19 of Jacques Villeneuve.
The growth of Williams in recent times has been facilitated by the arrival of new sponsors.
The team, directed by the former Mercedes, James Vowles, have, in fact, also announced a new partnership with Komatsu, a leading company in the construction, mining and industrial fields, whose logo will be visible on the FW46.
This is a return after a successful collaboration that took place in the 80s and 90s. The event was held in a PUMA store to celebrate the collaboration with the sports brand, which will dress the team, providing official kits to the riders and all the accessories for the fans.
In recent days, Williams has also formalized the agreement with VAST as an Official Partner. This company specialises in management and processing to help optimize the team’s processes.
Furthermore, in January, the partnership with Mercedes for the supply of Power Units was renewed.
Williams: the driver pair and the key figures of the team. Commitment to the Academy for the growth of new talents
Alexander Albon and Logan Sargeant make an exciting driving duo. The Thai will be in his third season with Williams Racing and was crucial in achieving seventh place in the constructors’ championship last season.
The American Logan Sargeant will face his first year in Formula 1, not as a rookie, after his debut last season, where he managed to become the first American driver to score a point 30 years after the last time.
Dorilton ‘s strengthening project continues, and this will be Team Principal James Vowles ‘ second season in charge of Williams.
Together with him, the Chief Technical Officer, who arrived from Alpine, Pat Fry will bring with him a long experience that will contribute to the growth of the team.
2024 will have to be a new step forward in growth to bring Williams closer to the top of Formula 1.
Continuing the tradition of investing in young talent and developing them, the Williams Academy for 2024 is exciting.
Zak O’Sullivan and Franco Colapinto will take part in Formula 2. Luke Browning will instead race in Formula 3; Lia Block will be involved in F1 Academy.
Alessandro Giusti will race in Formula Regional European Championship, Oleksandr ‘Sasha’ Bondarev in OK Karting and Sara Matsui in OKJ Karting.
Alex Albon: “The new car will require an adjustment in driving style”
Alexander Albon outlined the importance of building upon last year’s foundations. Of course, the FW46 is a car with some divergences compared to the previous project.
“We’ve changed the philosophy of the car slightly, so I’m curious to see if we can improve some of the characteristics that the car has historically had.
“It will require an adjustment in driving style. But I am confident it will be a change for the better.”
It was a start to the season, which could, therefore, prove to be different than usual for Williams with the technical changes that have been made. Lots of curiosity also on the part of Logan Sargeant, who is interested in having a better season than his rookie year also in terms of his contribution to the team:
“I had a productive break which allowed me to prepare both physically and mentally for the year Taking the time to properly reflect on my rookie season.
“This year, I know my goals. I will try to build on the progress I have made since being part of the Williams family. I intend to contribute more to the success of the team.”
James Vowles: “Since I joined Williams, we have overcome great challenges”
A pair of drivers in whom James Vowles also places a lot of trust. The former Mercedes Strategy Director joined the Groove team in 2023, inheriting the role of Team Principal from Jos Capito.
“Alex and Logan are able to constantly fight for points, helping us in our future development path. Since joining Williams, I have seen this team come together to overcome a series of challenges and take seventh place in the Constructors’ Championship.
“We also showed the world that we are building the foundation to move forward. We will continue to strengthen the team both on and off the track through improvements to our infrastructure.”
This journey will not be free from obstacles, with James Vowles aware that improvements take time.
Still, the cohesion of the team will make a fundamental contribution to the growth path. The support of partner Komatsu will also be of great importance, as CEO and President Hiroyuki Ogawa stated:
“Komatsu and Williams Racing share values regarding innovation and the development of our people, and through our partnership, we look forward to creating value together, both on and off the track.
“Our partnership with Williams Racing aligns with Komatsu’s mission to create value through manufacturing and technology innovations to foster a sustainable future where people, businesses, and our planet can thrive together.”
Authors: Paolo D’Alessandro & Loris Preziosa
Translation: Jaden Diaz-Ndisang
