
Giorgio Piola's F1 technical analysis
F1 tech review: How Williams sank to the very bottom
Back in 2014, Williams stood on the precipice of a revival, delivering a car that on a given day could outperform some of its closest rivals. It’s something that’s made for uncomfortable viewing since, as it descended to the very bottom of the field in 2018, struggling to create a chassis that can exploit the potency of the Mercedes power unit that had masked some of its aerodynamic and mechanical deficiencies at the start of the hybrid era.

Hopes were high for the rules reset in 2017, as the team came off the back of a 2016 campaign that saw it in a dogfight with Force India for fourth place, a position that it almost willingly gave up by switching focus for the regulatory rebirth. Unfortunately the FW40 did not maximise the scope of the new rules package, and it slid down the pecking order.
Even that could not prepare us for depths that the team would sink to with FW41 this year, as Williams struggled to get any performance from an ever-more complex and unwieldy machine…
Williams FW41 layout

Photo by: Giorgio Piola
Williams FW41 cooling comparison: Hungarian & Mexican GPs

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Williams FW41 steering wheel

Photo by: Jerry Andre / Motorsport Images
Williams FW41 steering wheel

Photo by: Giorgio Piola
Williams FW41 detail

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Williams FW41 front detail

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Williams FW41 sensor detail

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Williams FW41 rear wing, Canadian GP

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Williams FW41 bargeboard detail

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Williams FW41 front brake

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Williams FW41 front wing comparsion

Photo by: Giorgio Piola
Lance Stroll, Williams FW41

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
Lance Stroll, Williams FW41

Photo by: Andrew Hone / Motorsport Images
Williams FW41 Rear Wing, T-Wing and Cooling, Hungarian GP

Photo by: Giorgio Piola
Oliver Rowland, Williams FW41

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
Robert Kubica, Williams FW41

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
Robert Kubica, Williams FW41

Photo by: Mark Sutton
Williams FW41 front detail

Photo by: Giorgio Piola
Williams FW41 rear wing

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
Williams FW41 bargeboard

Photo by: Giorgio Piola
Williams FW41 nose and front wings

Photo by: Mark Sutton
Williams FW41 bargeboards

Photo by: Giorgio Piola
Williams FW41 front wing detail

Photo by: Rubio / Motorsport Images
Sergey Sirotkin, Williams FW41

Photo by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images
Williams FW41 nose and front wing detail

Photo by: Mark Sutton

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About this article
Series | Formula 1 |
Teams | Williams |
Author | Giorgio Piola |
F1 tech review: How Williams sank to the very bottom
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