[Team] Williams: Do they have a spare tub?

[E.B]

Originally Posted by midgetman

Lucky nothing. The best drivers build the best teams by gelling with their engineers. Fangio - always switching to get an "unfair advantage" with the car. Clark and Lotus. Stewart and Tyrrell. Senna and McLaren. Schumacher and Ferrari. Hamilton and Mercedes.

Cream rises to the top and it soon becomes clear who you want around you.

Lauda and Ferrari /Forghieri being another great example

[billy bleach]

Originally Posted by S griffin

I think Schumi was lucky to have that team around him, although he did deserve a lot of his success. But Brawn could have turned another team into a front runner. And Symonds never went to Ferrari. He worked at Toleman/Benetton/Renault, Marussia and Williams, but never Ferrari. But anyway moving on

Sorry meant Rory Byrne

[midgetman]

Originally Posted by S griffin

Some get the breaks. The best drivers usually great at deciding where to go. You’re right that Fangio was very good at getting to the right team and Clark and Lotus worked well together, as did Stewart and Tyrrell, albeit against minimal opposition. Senna and Schumi were in the right place at the right time too, but some have more success than they perhaps should have

My point is they *make* it the right place at the right time. It's not really luck, it's one of the unsung skills of being a top driver.

The fact that Ferrari was a pile of poo before Schuey arrived is a case in point. He worked with Todt to bring in the right people to make it work. Which is what makes him greater than Alonso IMO. Alonso seems to divide a team, Schumacher brought out the best in it.

Sent from my AC2003 using Tapatalk

[S griffin]

Of course, the best drivers can motivate a team. It's not just about driving fast, it's about the whole package.

Certainly Schumi couldn't have done it alone and he persuaded Todt to bring in people like Brawn. Schumi may have had it easy, but he deserved his success. Doesn't mean he was the greatest though...

[crmalcolm]

Originally Posted by S griffin

Schumi may have had it easy,

Do you genuinely think that in going to Ferrari, Schumacher had it easy?

It took years to turn the team into the dominant force they became.
The team he joined were languishing behind Williams and Benetton on the track, and were insistent on pursuing the V12 route in the face of Renault's V10.

He could have gone to Williams, or even McLaren, and been more certain of titles - but he went to a team that needed work. He was risking his career in taking the Ferrari seat.
It could be argued that the decline at Benetton after his departure showed how good he was - a point that must surely have contributed to Brawn and Byrne moving towards the Red?

Then came the package of Hakkinen, Newey and the MP4-13 - which coupled to his own leg injury meant that he did not have the support of the Tifosi at the end of 1999. Clinching the title in the last round of 2000 was probably the minimum required for Todt, Schumacher, Brawn and Byrne to save their collective careers. Anything other than the title in 2000 would likely have seen at least two of those four departing Maranello - as di Montezemolo is reported to have wanted.

Even once the run of titles was started - the field was not devoid of competition.Williams with BMW V10 power, driven by JPM and his own brother were quick enough to trouble the Ferrari and the points system of 2003 almost saw Raikkonen's sole victory for McLaren enough to take a title.

It is a discredit to look back and think that because Schumacher's record was so good, he must have had it easy. As is true in many sports - the greatest are those that make it look easy.

That must surely be the plan for Williams - instead of making it look hard, make it look easy?



(I think I referred to Williams enough to keep the thread on topic??)

[The Fat Clerk]

[QUOTE=midgetman;4042879]My point is they *make* it the right place at the right time. It's not really luck, it's one of the unsung skills of being a top driver.

Which is what makes him greater than Alonso IMO. Alonso seems to divide a team, Schumacher brought out the best in it.


Look at Alonso @ McLaren, a right arrogant sh.t, didn't like it when Hamilton showed him up for what he is. Hasn't done anything since either, well past his sell by date.

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by S griffin

Of course, the best drivers can motivate a team. It's not just about driving fast, it's about the whole package.

Certainly Schumi couldn't have done it alone and he persuaded Todt to bring in people like Brawn. Schumi may have had it easy, but he deserved his success. Doesn't mean he was the greatest though...

That's a good point. Schumi joined Ferrari in '96. A year later both Rory Byrne and Ross Brawn came over from Benetton and joined Ferrari. However I wouldn't say Schumi had it easy. He got himself disqualified that year, was bride's maid the following year and was 5th in '99, missing 7 GPs after he broke his leg going into the tyre wall at 200 mph, just after the start of the British GP.

[Adam43]

And won three races in 1996 in a Ferrari. First time that had happened for a bit.

[billy bleach]

Changes coming- Team Principle gone - looking at his CV nailed on for Redbull engines probably?

[Greem]

Originally Posted by billy bleach

Changes coming- Team Principle gone - looking at his CV nailed on for Redbull engines probably?

https://twitter.com/WilliamsRacing/s...66376754192389

Roberts going, Capito to take Team Principal role.

[S griffin]

Best of luck to Capito, he’s got an impressive CV, so he has the opportunity to do well at Williams

[chillibowl]

so why didnt he become team principle right away?

we never get proper reporting in F1 like we do with other sports, so for most things we can only infer from official press releases (so team propaganda) which never tells us much...but it does afford us the opportunity to speculate wildly!

so here goes.

was the date preset? why for this early in the season then?

mid season changes of top positions suggests confusion and discord. Roberts was always interim i guess but how much 'transition' could he have overseen in the past 5 months? was he just there to fire a bunch of people/make some really mean decisions and now has been replaced?

the team seems to be doing better this year so maybe that had something to do with an early replacement?

but seriously, 2021 was never going to be their year anyways, so how does this change affect their 2022 development program?

[billy bleach]

Originally Posted by chunterer

Who do you reckon on being swept away first?

Already happened….

[wnut]

Originally Posted by chillibowl

so why didnt he become team principle right away?

we never get proper reporting in F1 like we do with other sports, so for most things we can only infer from official press releases (so team propaganda) which never tells us much...but it does afford us the opportunity to speculate wildly!

so here goes.

was the date preset? why for this early in the season then?

mid season changes of top positions suggests confusion and discord. Roberts was always interim i guess but how much 'transition' could he have overseen in the past 5 months? was he just there to fire a bunch of people/make some really mean decisions and now has been replaced?

the team seems to be doing better this year so maybe that had something to do with an early replacement?

but seriously, 2021 was never going to be their year anyways, so how does this change affect their 2022 development program?

From Capito's perspective, the assessment of the working team would be the right way to go, see what they are doing and what they are doing well before you institute wholesale change and disrupt what is working.

The rest, I agree with you, particularly the proper reporting in F1 bit, nobody in the media ever seems to ask the obvious questions. Guess that applies to all media everywhere, and then there is "fake news" too.

[chillibowl]

looks like we are getting more details from Capito about the change over.

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/w...-exit/6599911/

despite my early speculation, Capito saying its more of a move to better organize the technical side and give more direct supervision to also recently hired Francois-Xavier (FX) Demaison. i suppose the assertion is that Roberts was wearing one too many hats during this transition?

however, the article loses me a bit between Capito saying that the technical director needs to have much more hands on experience:

It became clear that engineering should be all in one hand: track engineering, design, aero, should all be in one hand. That should be under the technical director, and that should be a technical director who has done all jobs in racing, who has been at a drawing board, who has been a race engineer, who has done R+D, and FX is exactly that person.

but then is quoted as saying that they dont necessarily need someone with F1 experience:

Capito said the team had already received “very good applications” for the role, but that prior F1 experience was not essential.

“I think that it’s not necessarily needed,” Capito said. “Sometimes it’s good to have a view from outside. I think I saw [McLaren team principal] Andreas Seidl’s interview from last week, where he said the reason he can do this job is because he’s been outside of Formula 1!"

Seidl of course had F1 experience and is the team principle of Mclaren not it's technical director so im not sure i see the direct comparison.

but of course F1 is not the end all be all of racing and experience from different series is applicable to F1 and we have seen people from outside come into F1 and be very successful...but then again we have seen people from outside F1 come in and struggle mightily (Williams hiring of Adam Parr comes to mind).

anyways, it does all seem to be the right move as Williams has officially been without a technical director since Lowe left a few years ago, ownership transition, plus final push before the new regs coming to play. this may be the structure they need.

really hope it works out!

[bathurst77]

I keep thinking what if Williams somehow design a weapon for the new regs. Given that its all new, all change, and teams wont have anything to copy from other teams cars, so someone might think of something no one else has...

What if Williams fluke on some little "trick" in aero, chassis or engine that gives them an advantage and they wipe the floor next year.
Could happen

Then George will spend 2022 watching the back wing of his old teams cars.....
could happen
probably wont

[Skam85]

Originally Posted by bathurst77

I keep thinking what if Williams somehow design a weapon for the new regs. Given that its all new, all change, and teams wont have anything to copy from other teams cars, so someone might think of something no one else has...

What if Williams fluke on some little "trick" in aero, chassis or engine that gives them an advantage and they wipe the floor next year.
Could happen

Then George will spend 2022 watching the back wing of his old teams cars.....
could happen
probably wont

Well they did in 2014 with Massa and Bottas when the hybrid era started, so it's not out of the question.

[chunterer]

Originally Posted by Skam85

Well they did in 2014 with Massa and Bottas when the hybrid era started, so it's not out of the question.

More chance now Mad Dog McKiernan has gone!

Who is the Chief Designer now?

[E.B]

Originally Posted by chunterer

More chance now Mad Dog McKiernan has gone!

Who is the Chief Designer now?

I found this, but it is from last year and so not sure if that is as it is now.... their website does not talk much of the tech staff.

Dave Worner has joined as Chief Designer, having been responsible for the Red Bull-Toro Rosso synergies initiative. Meanwhile, Jonathan Carter will work with Worner in the role of Deputy Chief Designer and Head of Design. Carter joins from Renault, where he has been Head of Composite Design since 2015.

Williams say the duo will "take up these positions in the near future".

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...vrvNp2qwh.html

[Richard C]

Retirement of cars had a significant impact on this, but it is also a reflection of hard work on their part.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYA872EopQI

Richard

[chillibowl]

i really liked Russell's message to the team to prioritize Latifi's strategy over his own.

i suppose i could be cynical and say the team would have done this anyways but nevertheless, classy for him to say it first.

given that these cars wont see much upgrades for the remainder of the season, these points Williams got may be more then enough to keep them ahead of Alfa and Haas.

they had a good day!

[tux]

Doesn't sound great, getting the excuses in early? https://www.racefans.net/2022/02/15/...-for-williams/

[steve_r]

Originally Posted by tux

Doesn't sound great, getting the excuses in early? https://www.racefans.net/2022/02/15/...-for-williams/

It's an interesting article, but nowhere in there do I see any quotes from anyone at Williams making excuses or even making predictions about 2022.

The last time the reg's changed, Williams were very much at the sharp end. And although that is only a few years ago, in F1 terms it is ancient history. I would love to see someone spring up from the midfield pack and stir up the status quo. But with the recent ownership and technical dept changes, it does sound like a big ask from Williams to be the ones to shoot up the grid.

George Russell's brilliant qualifying exploits will surely be missed. Albon still has something to prove after a difficult time at Red Bull, but probably will do OK I reckon.

[S griffin]

Loving the new Williams livery, nice different shades of blue

[BertMk2]

Originally Posted by S griffin

Loving the new Williams livery, nice different shades of blue

It looks like they've just used the leftover wrap from last years Alpine

Also a distinct lack of sponsors still.