Williams Chief Reveals Substantial Upgrades Packages Coming To F1 Car After Summer Break

Alex Harrington | Aug 9, 2024

May 3, 2024; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Williams driver Alexander Albon (23) races out of turn 17 during F1 Sprint Qualifying at Miami International Autodrome. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports / John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

Williams Team Principal James Vowles has announced a major upgrade to the Williams FW46 car for the upcoming second half of the 2024 season. The push to improve the car's capabilities involves changes in aerodynamics, suspension, and weight reduction.

The FW46 has notably struggled in the current season, failing to replicate the more competitive performance seen in its 2023 predecessor across different circuits. This has resulted in Williams lagging behind its midfield rivals, a situation Vowles is determined to address post-summer break. Vowles said the following, via Motorsport.com:

"We have updates coming up this summer break - I hope in Zandvoort and I hope again in Baku or the race after Baku which is Singapore."

The specifics of the upcoming upgrades embody a triad of critical areas.

"What I can tell you is there are substantive numbers that should add up to us being back in a position of fighting for points," Vowles explained. "It's achieved through a number of things. It's aerodynamic updates, you're going to see a suspension update, and you're going to see weight coming off the car. So it's fundamentally three core routes wherever we're doing this."

However, Vowles also expressed some reservations about the immediate impact of these changes, citing difficulties faced by other teams such as Red Bull and Mercedes.

"In the world of Formula 1, they're big steps, but my reticence is you've now watched RB who had an update to take it off, Mercedes had an update but took it off,” he noted. "You don't normally see that, teams have confidence in what they do."

Beyond the 2024 season upgrades, Vowles revealed that Williams's focus extends well into the future, with substantial resource allocation toward developing its 2025 and 2026 cars.

"We're also investing in 25, so our car in the wind tunnel is not the 2024 car, it's been the 2025 one for quite a few months," Vowles said. His strategic vision is aimed at fast-tracking the development of the 2026 car while ensuring a solid performance in the 2025 season: "The reason why we're doing this is not because I believe in 2025, but I want to get the 2026 car in the tunnel as soon as possible, but still have a sensible 2025 season."

This ambitious approach is a reflection of Vowle's overarching strategy - something he put in place when he first took over the team - to invest in the future, despite it potentially meaning a lapse of performance in the short term

"That's a change for Williams, we were more used to working one year in advance or even on the current year. And as you can imagine, when you do that within the organization, it takes time to adapt," he commented.

Williams is keenly setting the stage for a comeback, especially if the Mercedes engines they'll be using in 2026 are anything as powerful like the rumors suggest.

Vowles concluded: "Nothing I've told you here is special sauce; Mercedes does it, Red Bull does it, but for Williams, it's a large departure."