It might seem a routine step in the building of a racing car ahead of its inclusion in the forthcoming Formula 1 World Championship and it’s ordinarily an occasion that would pass without much fanfare.
But for Williams – emerging from the shadow of a torrid pre-season in 2019, the firing up of its FW43 – a car that has already passed its FIA scrutiny – is something to truly celebrate.
And celebrate they have, with a video marking the occasion of its new car roaring into life, surrounded by Williams Racing personnel at their Grove HQ.
Among those watching on as she was fired up was Williams Team Principal Sir Frank Williams – these days with more of a hands-off ambassadorial role – looking happy and well, breaking into a wide smile as his latest challenger bursts into life.
The firing up of the FW43 comes eleven days before its official unveiling at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona on the morning of the first day of F1 pre-season testing.
After a disastrous 2019 when Williams Racing picked up just a single point en route to last place in both the drivers’ and constructors’ championships – their worst performance in over 40 years in F1, the team are keen to make up ground on the teams around them in an effort to move back towards the business end of the grid.
Williams Racing, once regular challengers for F1 titles are without a win in eight years now, and last picked up a championship trophy two decades ago.
While it’s unlikely that 2020 will be the year any of that changes, any progress will be seen as a positive after two or three years heading in the wrong direction.
Helping Williams to realise this goal are a number of new recruits, including driver Nicholas Latifi who brings with him a wealth of new sponsorship investment, and key engineering appointments David Worner and Jonathan Carter.
Watch the video below:
Who else is fired up for the 2020 season? ? pic.twitter.com/9eW4ylMU5J
— ROKiT WILLIAMS RACING (@WilliamsRacing) February 6, 2020
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