Williams Racing unveiled a revised livery on their 2022 F1 machine – the FW44 – as the new era car was presented in an online launch.
Williams became the sixth F1 team to unveil their 2022 F1 livery onboard the FW44 which is different to the one they used in 2021. The partnership with Duracell hinted on a revised scheme and the online launch showcased that.
The traditional white is off the car, with the blue taking centerstage – both a dark and light shade, as seen in the race suits of Alexander Albon and Nicholas Latifi. There is a hint of red stripes too on the car, presumably for Duracell’s corporate colour.
Unlike the other Mercedes-powered car Aston Martin, which carry cooling vents on top of the sidepod, Williams don’t have it like the other released cars. It largely resembles the Silverstone show car which could hint that they have gone the Red Bull way.
The team has a filming day planned for Barcelona on February 26, but seemingly they also had a run at Silverstone – the details of which hasn’t been released officially. “Over its history as an iconic Formula One team, Williams Racing has shown great strength and sophistication,” said Jost Capito.
“The new visual identity of the 2022 car perfectly encapsulates these characteristics that the staff, drivers and fans have demonstrated time and time again. As we move into the new era of our sport, the FW44 highlights the transition to the future, as well as acknowledging the timeless qualities that make us who we are.
“Last season we were thrilled and proud to make such strong advancements as a team, with a number of well-earned points-scoring results in addition to a podium. Looking forward, we want to build on this success, and the FW44 perfectly embodies these ambitions to return to the front of the grid. I look forward to witnessing this progression with Nicholas and Alex at the helm.”
Among the drivers, Latifi stated: “I’m a fan of the new livery. Keeping the blue was important as it’s synonymous with Williams Racing, but it’s a pattern we’ve not seen before and the fluorescent red will pop on track which I really like. It’s a fresh new look to start off the new era of F1. I’m super excited for testing in Barcelona, to get back behind the wheel, push and see what the car can do.
“Pre-season always feels like quite a long time, but it’s been really busy and there’s been a nice build-up at the factory with lots of hard work from everyone. The new regulations should allow for much better racing so I’m excited for the challenge and we will aim to gather some good data from testing, to take us into the first few races.”
And new teammate Albon added: “The FW44 livery is clean and simple. I like that we’ve gone for more blue with the dynamic diamond finish and a little bit of red; it looks really good and I’m looking forward to seeing it out on track. The upcoming Barcelona track session will be about making sure we’re efficient with our time to best ensure we have a competitive package heading into the season.
“We don’t have many days before our first race and so we quickly need to understand which areas of the car are strong and where we need to make improvements. I’m sure it will be a little bit of a learning curve as we all try to learn how to get the most out of the new regulations, but the objectives and the way that we focus on this car is very much the same as in previous years. Ultimately, we’re all still trying to get a racing car around a track as quickly as possible.”
F1 2022 launches so far:
Here’s details of F1 launches, filming, fire-up
Here’s details of contract, superlicense penalty points
More to come