Williams FW43

No change in the engine/power unit department (Mercedes), title sponsor (ROKiT) or lead driver (George Russell) for 2020, but Williams will surely hope for a change in fortunes as they approach the new season after two difficult years.

Robert Kubica makes way for Formula 2 runner-up Nicholas Latifi.

The Williams FW43 will be the first car with input from Sir Patrick Head for half a dozen or so years, as he returns to the team as a consultant following the departure of former CTO Paddy Lowe, and the team’s struggles of the last two seasons where its drivers were able to muster just eight points between them in the entire 41 races.

Claire Williams remains as de facto Team Principal (Sir Frank Williams retains the title of TP, but is very much hands off these days, with daughter Claire running the show).

Sale of the Williams Team

After a delayed start to the 2020 Formula 1 season as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, Williams’ announced that their agreement with title sponsor ROKiT had been terminated. The reasons behind this are still as of yet unclear, although Williams insist that they met all of their contractual obligations.

This left Williams without a title sponsor and with a rather large hole in their budget, which prompted them to secure a loan from Michael Latifi, billionaire father of Williams driver Nicholas Latifi, keeping the team solvent in the short term.

Sadly, it didn’t appear to be enough and without the necessary funding from sponsors and an absence of F1 activity, it was revealed that the team was up for sale and subsequently that Williams Racing had been bought by US investment firm Dorilton Capital on 21st August.

As a consequence, the Williams family stepped down from the Williams Racing board, and Claire Williams resigned her post as Deputy Team Principal.

This meant that – after 739 Formula 1 Grand Prix – the Italian Grand Prix of 2020 was the last for a Williams Team run by the Williams family, and a new era beckoned.

No points in 2020

Come the end of the season, Williams had failed to score a single point, making 2020 the first year in the team’s 43 year history where it had failed to get on the board, and the third in a row at the foot of both Formula 1 World Championships.