Williams not sacrificing this year's car despite 2022 caution
Williams says the dramatic 2022 Formula 1 car changes will force it to be more ‘cautious’ with its design planning, but it will not sacrifice all work on its current challenger.
The Grove-based outfit is coming off the back of an encouraging season where it began its recovery from an ultra-disappointing 2019 campaign.
However, it knows that it needs to do more if it is to have a realistic shout of closing the gap on the cars ahead and move off the bottom of the constructors’ championship standings.
But ahead of the dramatic rules overhaul that is coming for 2022, when F1 switches to new ground effect cars, the team knows it cannot afford to be late with that project.
Team principal Simon Roberts said everything would be focused on ensuring that its 2022 car was as good as it could be, but that would not mean completely sacrificing work on this year’s upgrades.
“It's [the 2022 rules] a great opportunity for all the teams, but it's a great risk as well,” said Roberts. “But the thing we're focused on is that there's zero carry over from '21 to 22. So you can't be late with anything.
“The simplest part, which stops you racing, will stop you racing. So we're being more cautious than normal with our programme.
“We're working backwards from the first race in 2022, looking at what we need to have in place [then], what we need for the winter test, and then taking that all the way back through the development programme to figure out how much space and capacity we have across the whole organisation.”
Roberts said that only once Williams knew where resources needed to be devoted would the team know how much time it could give to the 2021 project.
“We definitely have time, people, windtunnel and CFD availability in the early part of the year to develop the '21 car, and that's what we're going to do,” he said.
“There will be a crossover point. If you said: 'When is the crossover point?' I don't know. But it's not going to be August - we'll be well into the 100 percent 2022 [car development] before August. But it's not the end of January either. Somewhere in that range, we'll cross over.”
Additional reporting by Alex Kalinauckas
Related video
Previous article
Coyne "would love to have" Grosjean on 2021 IndyCar team
Next article
Tributes flow for Adrian Campos
About this article
| Series | Formula 1 |
| Teams | Williams |
| Author | Jonathan Noble |
Can Mercedes' W12 retain the team's crown?
Replacing Formula 1's fastest car was never going to be an easy feat for Mercedes. Amid the technical rule tweaks to peg back the W12 and its 2021 rivals, the new Mercedes challenger will remain the target to beat
The pointed note that starts Ferrari's Leclerc vs Sainz era
Ferrari is starting its post-Sebastian Vettel age by welcoming Carlos Sainz in alongside Charles Leclerc. But while Sainz has a tough challenge to match his new teammate, Ferrari is also sending a message that previous intra-team spats must end
The mantra Ocon must follow to challenge Alonso at Alpine
OPINION: It's been an uneasy ride for Esteban Ocon since his F1 comeback - and fresh challenges lie in wait as he's joined by double world champion Fernando Alonso in the newly rebranded Alpine team. STUART CODLING sets out a roadmap to success…
Why Haas is willing to sacrifice its 2021 F1 season
Every Formula 1 team is facing the same difficult decision this season: how do you split precious aero development time between the current car and the all-new 2022 project?
The big questions of F1 2021 - Karun Chandhok
After an unprecedented season last year, there are plenty of questions and storylines for the upcoming Formula 1 campaign. Sky Sports F1 pundit Karun Chandhok gives his verdict.
How McLaren F1’s new investors have already made an impact
The deal McLaren concluded with MSP Sports Capital last year which will help the cash-strapped Formula 1 team pay for much-needed infrastructure upgrades, also points toward the future for F1 itself, says GP Racing's Stuart Codling.
Why Verstappen isn't interested in the hype game
In a pre-season where Red Bull has been unusually quiet, Max Verstappen has also been guarded about the team's fortunes in 2021. Even after trying the RB16B for the first time at Silverstone, the Dutchman was careful to manage expectations
The pros and cons of F1's 2021 rule changes
In the strategy for grand prix racing's future, 2021 represents a significant step towards the goal of closer racing and a more level playing field. That's the theory behind the latest raft of changes, but will they have the desired effect?
