FW26 innovative not radical

Fisher said: “The FW26 is not an iteration of its predecessor, which might surprise some people given the former car’s relative success. You cannot stand still or relax your development pace for a single minute in Formula One."

Fisher was asked if he would define the FW26 as radical, given the design of the front wing and nose and the twin keeled front end. Fisher expressed his dislike of this the term.

Fisher continued: “It is devalued because it is over-used, and to a large extent the possibility is excluded by the restrictive technical regulations that govern Formula One. That said, it will be immediately evident to onlookers that a high degree of innovative design has gone into the FW26”.

Fisher spoke of the demands placed on the design team caused by the major changes in design as well as the early launch date.

Fisher added: “We were conscious that the inability to extract the full potential of the FW25 until well into the season was a significant contribution to our failure to win either Championship. The earlier launch date for FW26 is a clear statement of our intent to be in a position to win from the first race onwards.”

For the WilliamsF1 team the new FW26 will be the focal point on any success the team has in 2004. Fisher spoke of the teams anticipation of the season ahead.

Fisher said: “There is a great deal of anticipation on our part about this new car. It is has challenged us throughout its development, and there is certainly a sense that the day that it runs for the first time will be more significant than launch days in previous years. All of the team members will be proud that they have made enormous efforts to push the performance of this car as far forward as possible, and that in doing so will have written the opening chapter in what will become a successful season.”

Fisher admits that the new FW26 has taken the team down a path that is not without risk.

Fisher said: “For sure the FW26 could have been a straightforward evolution of the FW25, and it would undoubtedly have been a quick car. But a car that would be quick enough to win the title? That would have been too dependent on the relative performance of other teams. We wanted to ensure that we had pushed our development as far as it could go.” He continues, “Such a progressive approach has produced a stimulating atmosphere in which everyone involved in the project is challenged and invigorated, and simply put, it’s an environment where people perform better”.

As for the twin-keeled front end Technical Director Patrick Head explained how this is a major departure from previous years.  Head explained: "We've eliminated the part of the nose above the front wing, and it allows more freedom for airflow over and below the car. I think the car is a fairly logical development within the rules but there are one or two aspects that look slightly different.

As for the early launch Head added: "Looking back on 2003, we realised e had not left ourselves enough time before the start of the season."