Coming off a resurgent 2014 FIA Formula 1 World Championship season where previous F1 heavyweights Williams Racing finished third in the constructors' championship, the third most successful F1 team ever revealed images of their 2015 challenger; the Mercedes-Benz powered FW37.
After a season in which the FW36 scored nine podium positions as well as a pole position in the hands of drivers Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas; both of whom have been retained for the 2015 F1 season.
Williams Racing revealed that they had pushed the development of 2014's FW36 until the later stages of the season but were able to make key hires that allowed them to work on the 2015 car as well.
"The desire to beat Ferrari to third place in the Constructors’ in 2014 meant we pushed our development through to late autumn," said Chief Technical Officer Pat Symonds. "But the size of the team is now at a point where it was able to sustain this development whilst still working on the FW37.
"We felt we came up against design barriers in the FW36 and so took the opportunity to remove those barriers for the benefit of the performance. The FW36 carried a reasonable amount of ballast, so we were able to make alterations to the design for added performance without the fear of adding excessive mass.
"The change in regulations offered us a slight headache. The new front bulkhead and nose geometry had much more of an impact than we had initially anticipated and the effect on the aero was profound. The team have worked hard on pulling back the deficit these regulations have made for us."
Based on these comments made by Symonds via a Williams Racing press release, it doesn't seem like it will all be plain sailing for the team that is trying to claw its way back to the top of the F1 pecking order.
It certainly sounds like the FIA's attempts to rectify what was largely a cosmetic problem will make it a challenge for the team to pick up where it left off at the end of last year.
An added factor could be the relaxation in the engine regulations that allow power unit manufacturers to make changes throughout the season. Mercedes-Benz could choose to make whatever updates it applies available to their factory team before Williams, thus hampering it in its bid to challenge the likes of Red Bull Racing, Ferrari and even McLaren, which will now use Honda power.
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