Williams' 2009 Preview: Can They Return to the Front of the Grid?

Next up in our previews: The Williams' F1 team.

The last few years have been difficult for the former title winner. Paul and I discuss whether they can return to their former glories in the new look Formula 1 season.

AT&T Williams F1 Toyota

Team Principal: Frank Williams/ Patrick Head

Technical Director: Sam Michael

Team Base: Grove, UK

Chassis: FW31

Engine: Toyota V8

Tires: Bridgestone

Grand Prix: 517

Wins: 113

Podiums: 280

Poles: 125

Fastest Laps: 128

Points: 0

2008 Position: Eighth (26 points)

Last five seasons:

2004 – Fourth (88pts)

2005 – Fifth (66pts)

2006 – Eighth (11pts)

2007 – Fourth (33pts)

2008 – Eighth (26pts)

First Driver: Nico Rosberg

Nationality: German
Age: 23
GPs started: 53
Wins: 0
Podiums: 2
Pole Positions: 0
Fastest Laps: 1
Points: 41
Best Season: Ninth (2007)

Second Driver: Kazuki Nakajima

Nationality: Japanese
Age: 24
GPs started: 19
Wins: 0
Podiums: 0
Pole Positions: 0
Fastest Laps: 0
Points: 9
Best Season: 15th (2008)

Paul Murtagh

Let's move on to Williams Toyota now—once the major force in F1, and now a midfield team. What do you make of their 2008 campaign—was it an improvement on 2007 despite their low championship position?

Daniel Chalmers

The answer to that would have to be no. In 2007, Williams consistently challenged for points even if they didn't always get them. By Brazil they were challenging BMW. 2008 testing was looking good and they seemed as if they were best of the rest at the time.

Unfortunately, they got sucked in very quickly by the midfield group, comprised of teams better funded with better facilities than them.

Paul Murtagh

It did seem to start well and go downhill after that last year. Do you think that their driver line-up, plus the lack of an experienced test driver, caused their lack of development compared to others?

Daniel Chalmers

The driver line-up is solid. Rosberg, a very good young driver whose two podiums in Melbourne and Singapore were both good drives. When the car was competitive he drove well in 2008. His main problem was making mistakes when points for grabs, including Monaco and Canada.

If Williams give him a fast car this season, I am sure he will do a better job.

Nakajima did better than I expected in his debut season. His pace wasn't stunning, but he always brought the car home and kept his head in difficult races. He was very calm and intelligent with his racing. He seized every opportunities he face.

His main problem is raw pace over a single lap. He needs to solve that issue this season.

Paul Murtagh

Did Rosberg make a career mistake in staying with Williams rather than filling the empty McLaren seat at the end of 2007?

Daniel Chalmers

Personally if I had been Rosberg I would have been knocking Ron's door down and asking him for the drive. Rosberg was quite an attractive proposition back at the end of 2007. I am sure he could have done as well as Kovalainen, possibly a lot better.

The 2008 Williams hasn't really showcased his talents, and his stock is lower than the likes of Kubica and Vettel who are the now the hot property in terms of young drivers currently.

Whether Rosberg was actually the number one target on Ron's hit list is uncertain, as no confirmation has proven that to be the case. Toyota certainly wanted Rosberg and the 2008 Toyota was a lot stronger than the Williams was.

So maybe that may have been a better shopping window. Nico has to hope Williams are competitive in 2009.

Paul Murtagh

I agree. Nico needs to have a good year or it will be a case of "what might have been in terms of his F1 career?" What about Nakajima? He certainly done a lot better than most people thought he would have last season, but as you say his downfall was qualifying, often leaving him further down the field can his car could handle.

Daniel Chalmers

It was a bit of problem. He could only get points in "crazy races". His race pace was actually pretty good. It’s something he has to work on but if he gets it right then he could potentially become a very good driver who hangs around for a while.

He could even go on to become Japan's best.

I think there were maybe better options for his seat like Anthony Davidson. But Williams need sponsorship that he gives them along with that Toyota engine deal. All in all it’s not a bad deal as he is a solid young driver with potential as we have seen, and the Toyota engine is strong.

Paul Murtagh

You just brought me to my next point - is the Toyota engine the right engine to move Williams back towards the front? Without a doubt it is a good engine, but Toro Rosso are the only team in recent years to have won a race with a customer engine from a manufacturer team. Do the efforts of the main Toyota team take away from the Williams engine efforts?

Daniel Chalmers

I think in their current situation the deal with Toyota is the best one for them. They get good support technically and plus it has helped bring a bit sponsorship to the team from Japan via Nakajima. They certainly can't afford to build their own engine.

Paul Murtagh

Do you think that, if Toyota fail to produce results this year, that they will give up on their own F1 ambitions and back Williams as a full manufacturer?

Daniel Chalmers

I have said for a long time that I think that could work really well. Toyota have the funds and the mega big facilities. But you need more than just that to make a good Formula One team.

If you combined Toyota and Williams you would have those two elements but you would also have the personnel, experience to get the job done. Plus there would be the sheer passion for racing, too.

Williams have always had this because they exist in F1 purely to race. They are not in F1 to promote road cars or anything like that. They just love to race.

Paul Murtagh

What do you make of their KERS device for this year? They have went for a flywheel device which is a completely different direction from the other teams, and it could be a very smart move

Daniel Chalmers

I think it is a very smart move by the team. It seems the others are going for the expensive and difficult option. Williams have gone for a device, which is a lot cheaper but is clever and will get the job done.

You don't always have to do things the expensive way. If Williams can get this thing to work they could end up getting one over some of the bigger giants. They really could be onto something here

Paul Murtagh

And what do you make of their decision to delay its introduction until a few races in— a good move?

Daniel Chalmers

I think a lot of the teams are in that position with their systems so it’s not a real disadvantage. It’s best to ensure that it is fully reliability, and they have the full working knowledge of the system before they race it.

Once its working they may find they have a sizable advantage against other teams opt not to use for longer including the likes of Toyota for example.

Paul Murtagh

And although Williams could have an advantage in their KERS device, do you think that Sam Michael is capable of designing a car worthy of winning races?

Daniel Chalmers

I think Sam Michael along with the whole Williams team are capable of designing race winning cars. They have done it before. The biggest problem has been more manufacturer teams with bigger budgets and facilities, which Williams just can't hope to match.

I think in the last couple of seasons they have done well to just stay reasonably competitive, when other independents would just have given up by now and moved on. Williams are a team with spirit and are real dogfighters.

F1 can't lose teams like Williams.

Paul Murtagh

Do you think they will improve on 2008?

Daniel Chalmers

I think there will be an improvement. The new regulations gives them a chance to catch up and to outsmart the opposition starting with that flywheel KERs system. I think over the last couple of seasons they have gone the wrong way with their cars particularly in terms of the weight distribution of the car.

Under stable regulations its always hard to gain back what has been lost to the other teams. So far in testing they look to be doing a very good job, and could start the season in the top half again. But unlike last season will they be able to sustain it?

That is the big question. Unfortunately I can see them starting very well, but inevitably they will end up slipping back again as the bigger teams start to find big gains in their performance.

Paul Murtagh

I think they will be able to sustain it—but only if they can get their KERS device up and running quickly. It will give them an advantage once they introduce it and I think Nico Rosberg will be able to add a couple of more podiums to his CV.

Naki-san should do better now he has a year of F1 behind him and could surprise a few more people again this year

Daniel Chalmers

Championship points wise, I certainly expect a big improvement over last season at the very least. I think there will be more podiums too. Sustaining high performance I think will be a step too far for them.

The big teams have the money and facilities to solve any problems with their new cars quite quickly. All in all 2009 should be a positive year. What are your views on the long term future of the team?

Paul Murtagh

Had you asked me that a few months ago I would have said it looked bleak. But with the cost-cutting changes coming into effect it has saved the team and they look like they could move back towards the front—like they did back in 2000.

If they can get the best out of Rosberg they can build the team around him and try to once again challenge for wins at some point in the future

Daniel Chalmers

I would have to agree with you. If F1 costs come back down to a sensible level then I can see Williams being able to compete again. I just hope they don't lose too many sponsors and that these cost cuts are implemented before it’s too late. They have the people and passion to win.

If the field levels out more in F1 then they can and will win. But for the moment, steady improvement and consistency brings about survival, which is the name of the game. How long are Patrick Head and Frank Williams going to hang around for do you think?

Paul Murtagh

They seem to have been around forever, and certainly don't look like leaving anytime soon. They have had some hard times in F1—Frank's accident and Senna's death being the major ones—so it will take them a lot to leave the sport.

I think they will be there until Williams take another title, and won't give up until they achieve this goal. They are natural born racers and winners who both love the sport

Daniel Chalmers

I can't imagine F1 without Frank and Patrick. They are part of the furniture. I do feel Frank's decision not to let BMW invest further into the team may have been a mistake. Since BMW left, Williams level has gone downhill and BMW's own team going sharply up.

In hindsight, that may have been a poor decision. Hopefully this is the point where it starts to turn around for the team.

Paul Murtagh

I think Frank was afraid of losing control of 'his' team and told BMW where to go. It showed a lot of character to do that but unfortunately it hasn’t worked out for him so far since BMW left the team. But I'm with you and hope that this season can begin the renaissance of Williams F1 once again

Daniel Chalmers

I am with you on that—Fingers cross they don't lose any more major sponsors, which affect them before the cost cuts come into full shape. They are still very much under threat financially speaking.

RBS are now going to be leaving at the end of 2010 and that is bad news. At least RBS aren’t leaving immediately, Williams have 2 years to find a new major sponsor on a positive note, but it will be very difficult

Paul Murtagh

It will be very difficult in the current climate. But if any team on the grid can do it, Williams can

Daniel Chalmers

Frank Williams has face difficult times before and has survived. He has fought off the bailiffs in the past and come out stronger. With all the cost cuts coming into place Williams can survive even if this latest blow means it will be harder still.

Frank Williams will never lose his competitive edge.

Paul Murtagh

Frank is old school—tough to crack. He won't leave F1 until he is forced out, and these cost-cutting measures will surely keep his team in F1 for a few years yet

Daniel Chalmers

Thank you for your company again. Let’s make a date again soon

MARKS

Scores (out of 10)

Chassis: 7
Engine: 8
Aerodynamics: 7
Mechanical grip: 7.5
Drivers: 7
Reliability: 8.5

THREE KEY QUESTIONS

Can Williams move back towards the front?

Can Rosberg fulfil his potential?

Can Williams survive the economic downturn?

Other 2009 Previews

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