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

[steve_r]

Their main driver is someone with a single season F1 experience, which involved mainly trailing around at the back out of sight of the rest of the field. Their second driver is a pay driver with no F1 experience at all.

Now, I am not saying that the drivers are rubbish, but I always used to think that setting up a car is something that comes from driver experience, which is something that Williams are desperately lacking. Am I out of date with this, or do the Engineers take control of car setup these days?

As others have pointed out, other teams such as Haas have produced cars that look OK in qualy, but go backwards in the race, even though they had drivers with far more experience than Williams.

It's probably too soon in the season to draw conclusions, and Williams are making noises about introducing a major update, so things may change again in the next few races anyway.

It was great to see both cars go well in qualy in Hungary, and I am looking froward to seeing them do the same in the race. Hungary was probably the twistiest track on the calendar this year, so their relative performance might be different at faster tracks.

[Peter Mallett]

Yet last year they had the very experienced Robert K. If nothing else his set up abilities must, by your reasoning, be better than Russel's. And we know Russell blew him away.

But, IMO these cars are so much easier to drive relative to (say) the 1990s, the need for an experienced driver has become much less important. Furthermore set up is done at the factory, all they can do is tweak the aero for understeer/oversteer.

[E.B]

Originally Posted by steve_r

T

Now, I am not saying that the drivers are rubbish, but I always used to think that setting up a car is something that comes from driver experience, which is something that Williams are desperately lacking. Am I out of date with this, or do the Engineers take control of car setup these days?

I think the engineers nowadays do most of that.... but they thrive on good feedback to work with and help them with the direction they take. I think that the quality of that feedback is an area where driver experience is an asset. Particularly in this no testing era.

[Richard C]

William's race pace being attributed to aero stability issues. Car runs decently well in clean air (such as qualifying), but is a challenge when in traffic/following another car.

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...CeivAU6zL.html

Richard

[chillibowl]

That makes sense...life is a little bit different in the pack.

Its almost as if they have to learn how to race again?

[S griffin]

The signs of progress are there. They just need to unlock a bit more race speed, but I’m sure they will do

[billy bleach]

Originally Posted by andy97

Fair point; I suppose the tyres may get up to temperature quickly, enough for a quick lap, but then go off and compromise the longer runs.

Or they have a stongking motor that gets more out of new tyres

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by chillibowl

That makes sense...life is a little bit different in the pack.

Its almost as if they have to learn how to race again?

It is a little different in the pack, as opposed to a relatively empty track during qualifying and maybe part of the problem is Russell and Latifi are having a bit of difficulty adjusting to that, as well as having issues with aero instability?

[steve_r]

Originally Posted by Peter Mallett

Yet last year they had the very experienced Robert K. If nothing else his set up abilities must, by your reasoning, be better than Russel's. And we know Russell blew him away.

But, IMO these cars are so much easier to drive relative to (say) the 1990s, the need for an experienced driver has become much less important. Furthermore set up is done at the factory, all they can do is tweak the aero for understeer/oversteer.

Yeah, I personally do not think that we can read too much into Kubica's come back. Much as I would loved to have seen him back at the same level as he used to be.

Your second para I think might nail it. The computer simulations and rafts of engineers are going to know the setup before they leave the factory. I'm sure that there are changes made based on driver feedback through the weekend, but I guess things are far more advanced than they used to be.

[justracing]

Originally Posted by Sodemo

They probably just need to soften the rears of the cars. Lower the rear anti-roll bar a bit. I think the increased traction should give them a few tenths.

.....Simples! You could get a job there sorting it out!

[wnut]

Originally Posted by justracing

.....Simples! You could get a job there sorting it out!

Stranger things have happened, when Nelson Piquet arrived at Brabham he had Gprdon Murray divide the springs and roll bar by a factor of three, ... so maybe Sodemo is onto something here!

[wolfhound]

The Williams F1 team has been sold to US investment firm Dorilton Capital.


https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/15...rilton-capital

[VIVA GT]

Originally Posted by wolfhound

The Williams F1 team has been sold to US investment firm Dorilton Capital.


https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/15...rilton-capital

Interesting news, lets see now what happens (and how quickly any changes are made)...

[Moneyseeker]

152M Euro paid apparently (£136m). I'm not sure that a capital investment business is a good team owner as so much of the revenue is dependent on results on track and to a certain extent some of this is out of your control. Nobody sets out to design a bad car and it is only a bad car in comparison to others.

I can see why CVC bought F1 overall - they had long contracts with guaranteed revenue and it turned out to be one of their most profitable investments ever.

I can see then making SFW company president or such to keep the name on the notepaper, I don't see a management role for CW in the long term - more of a handover. Perhaps they will bring in a motorsport pro quite quickly?

Overall I wish Williams well, the constanr struggle has been painful to watch and progress painfully slow. My only reservation is that once a business has been sold, it can and will be sold again - look how many times RP was sold after EJ sold it.

Can Williams make enough progress quickly enough to satisfy cpaital investors - even if they have a 'patient investment style' as they say in the PR?

[S griffin]

Came a bit out of nowhere that news, no indication they were suddenly going to get bought. Sadly they needed a buyer to keep them going. I hope this is not the beginning of the end for Williams. I just hope the money put in can see them up the grid again, they can hopefully spend more on development and see them closer to the front in 2021

[Moneyseeker]

Originally Posted by S griffin

Came a bit out of nowhere that news, no indication they were suddenly going to get bought. Sadly they needed a buyer to keep them going. I hope this is not the beginning of the end for Williams. I just hope the money put in can see them up the grid again, they can hopefully spend more on development and see them closer to the front in 2021

Also interesting neither that Latifi (who already had a loan secured on Williams assets) or Matzepin (who was rumoured to be interested in doing a 'Stroll' for his son became the buyers.

[steve_r]

https://www.williamsf1.com/news/2020...rilton-capital

Friday 21st August 2020, Grove. Williams Racing has been acquired by Dorilton Capital, bringing a successful conclusion to the Strategic Review which was launched in late May. Dorilton Capital is known for its long-term approach to investment and its key focus will be to restore the competitiveness of the team. This marks the beginning of an exciting new era in the history of Williams, which with its new owner, is now well positioned to capitalise upon the sweeping rule changes coming into Formula One with the new Concorde Agreement.

As part of the Strategic Review, Williams together with the Group’s financial advisers, conducted a comprehensive review of all the options available to the Company, which included exploratory discussions with a series of potential investors. This strategic review has now successfully concluded and the Company is pleased to announce the sale of Williams Racing to Dorilton Capital. This Transaction received the unanimous support of the Board of Williams, including Sir Frank, who determined the Transaction delivers the best outcome for the Company’s shareholders and secures the long-term success of the Williams Formula 1 team.

Dorilton Capital is a private investment firm headquartered in the United States with a strong track-record of building and enhancing companies with a flexible and patient investment style. Dorilton recognises and appreciates the importance of respecting and retaining Williams’ heritage and culture and is committed to maintaining its identity. The team will continue to race and compete under the Williams brand, with the chassis name remaining unchanged. Dorilton has no plans to re-locate the team from Grove, its traditional home.

The new Concorde Agreement is set to transform the sport and will help address the historical challenges that Williams has faced as an independent constructor, by reducing the financial and on-track disparities between teams and creating a fairer, more competitive sport. The new changes present an exciting opportunity for Williams, which together with the new ownership, will secure the long-term future of Williams at the pinnacle of motorsport.

Claire Williams, Deputy Team Principal, commented: “The Strategic Review was a useful process to go through and proved that both Formula One and Williams have credibility and value. We have now reached a conclusion and we are delighted that Dorilton are the new owners of the team. When we started this process, we wanted to find a partner who shared the same passion and values, who recognised the team’s potential and who could unlock its power. In Dorilton we know we have found exactly that. People who understand the sport and what it takes to be successful. People who respect the team’s legacy and will do everything to ensure it succeeds in the future. As a family we have always put our team first. Making the team successful again and protecting our people has been at the heart of this process from start. This may be the end of an era for Williams as a family owned team, but we know it is in good hands. The sale ensures the team’s survival but most importantly will provide a path to success. We are enormously grateful to Dorilton for the faith they have shown in our team and we look forward to working with them now. I would also like to thank the Williams Board and our advisers who have worked tirelessly over the past months to make this happen and our employees who have remained steadfastly loyal.”

Mike O’Driscoll, CEO of Williams, commented: “The transaction announced today marks the next stage in the history of Williams Formula 1 at an exciting time in the sport. The Company has successfully completed its strategic review and we are pleased to announce the sale to Dorilton Capital, which delivers a great outcome for shareholders and secures the long term future of the Company.”

Matthew Savage, Chairman of Dorilton Capital, commented: “We are delighted to have invested in Williams and we are extremely excited by the prospects for the business. We believe we are the ideal partner for the company due to our flexible and patient investment style, which will allow the team to focus on its objective of returning to the front of the grid. We look forward to working with the Williams team in carrying out a detailed review of the business to determine in which areas new investment should be directed. We also recognise the world class facilities at Grove and confirm that there are no plans to relocate.”


Let's hope that this is the shot in the arm that the team badly needs.

[crmalcolm]

Originally Posted by S griffin

Came a bit out of nowhere that news, no indication they were suddenly going to get bought.

Except for when it was discussed in this very thread 3 months ago?

Originally Posted by Greem

Well now. This is a plan, but probably not the plan we were looking for...

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/w...-team/4798066/

Originally Posted by S griffin

I am not surprised this has happened, they can’t rely on sponsorship or even pay drivers anymore. They need a big money buyout to stay in F1. I’d hate to those Williams, ok I would hate to lose any team, but it would be really sad if Williams were to go. I just hope they sell to the right person so the team keeps going, just as long as it’s not a dodgy businessman who takes over. That could be worse

[billy bleach]

Originally Posted by S griffin

Came a bit out of nowhere that news, no indication they were suddenly going to get bought. Sadly they needed a buyer to keep them going. I hope this is not the beginning of the end for Williams. I just hope the money put in can see them up the grid again, they can hopefully spend more on development and see them closer to the front in 2021

"Came out of nowhere"?are you saying you were not kept informed? Truly shocking

[chillibowl]

Any mention of changes to management?

[peebee2]

Originally Posted by S griffin

Came a bit out of nowhere that news, no indication they were suddenly going to get bought.

Apart from their press release about looking for a buyer!

[GT6]

Not sure what plans these people have for the team, these sort of investors are not always the best but if no one else was interested in buying the team it is better than them being forced into folding.

[BertMk2]

Originally Posted by Moneyseeker

... I don't see a management role for CW in the long term - more of a handover. Perhaps they will bring in a motorsport pro quite quickly?

Ouch! Savage comment

[Moneyseeker]

Originally Posted by BertMk2

Ouch! Savage comment

Didn't quite mean it to read like that. What I meant was like McLaren have done in bringing the guy from Porsche in.

Sent from my SNE-LX1 using Tapatalk

[andy97]

Originally Posted by Moneyseeker

Also interesting neither that Latifi (who already had a loan secured on Williams assets) or Matzepin (who was rumoured to be interested in doing a 'Stroll' for his son became the buyers.

How much of the money paid for the team has to be used to pay back Latifi for the loan, I wonder?

Being an investment company, I assume that their aim is to get the team back to a more competitive situation as quickly as reasonably possible and then sell on at a profit. Big risk.