WilliamsF1 2006 Season Preview

This week saw the end of the winter testing for the WilliamsF1 team. More than 16,000km of testing were completed by the team as they prepared their new FW28 for the opening race in Bahrain. For the team 2006 will see them return to the role of the independent team after having to cope with the use of customer Cosworth engines after the loss of the support from BMW.

WilliamsF1 now has to pay for its engines as well as any development over the course of the season. This has placed burdens on the teams budget for the 2006 season but despite this the team is still working hard to return to team back amongst the top echelon teams in Formula One.

On the budget front the WilliamsF1 team has been hard at work ensuring that the team has an adequate budget. Despite the loss of their major sponsor HP the team has been able to continue sponsorship deals with the likes of Royal Bank of Scotland, Allianz, Accenture, FedEx, Reuters, QinetiQ, PPG, Budweiser, Hamleys, Castrol, and Oris. They have also been able to attract several new sponsors including Japanese telecommunications company Mobilecast Corporation and power tools manufacturer DeWalt, Battery energy drinks, Philips, and Indian company TATA.

Obviously the teams budget can not be compared to the likes of those teams supported by car manufacturers but the team has proven over its history that it can produce and operate competitive championship winning cars on budgets a fraction that of its competitors.

The team has had to cope with the frustrations of the previous seasons where the teams cars struggled to be competitive during the season, and it was only after major upgrades that they were able to get close to the leading teams. By this time the season was all but over. 2005 was such an example of a season that saw the team perform well in the early races, drop away in the middle, and then see their performances improve in the later part of the season.

2006 sees the team use their latest challenger the FW28. When the car was first shown to the public its design was one that could be viewed as a logical progression from the 2005 season, rather than a major technological innovation. Included in this evolution included the team adopting  the zero keel approach in order to enhance the airflow over the front wing, the heavily sculptured sidepods which have come about due to the change heating requirement of the new V8 engines and the size of the new engines.

The new car has also moved away from the high front wing to the lower one similar to that seen on the 2005 McLaren. The one area where the team is looking at innovation is in the new seamless shift gearbox. The team is hoping to see this gearbox give them a few tenths per lap but will this come at the cost of reliability is yet to be seen given the fact that the new gearbox has caused some problems during winter testing.

On the subject of winter testing the WilliamsF1 team has yet to set the world on fire with the speed of the new FW28 but it has shown turns of speed with both of the teams principal drivers setting fastest times on several days testing at several tracks. Compared to their rivals the WilliamsF1 team's FW28 showed that it is not that far off the pace but it is early days and there are question marks hanging over the teams ability to react quickly during the season to develop the new car. This is especially true when it comes to the teams Cosworth engine. Even with the dedicated workforce at Cosworth hard at work developing the CA2006 engine they may simply not be able to match the resources of the likes of Honda.

Whilst on the subject of the Cosworth engine the new unit certainly has impressed in winter testing with those in the know saying that the engine is matching its rivals in power output. Early on in its development the new V8 was proudly put on show with footage of it running at 20,000 rpm made available. The new engine may produce a few surprises in conjunction with the FW28 but the big question is whether or not it can maintain any parity as the season progresses.

One decision by the team, that of switching to Bridgestone tyres for 2006, could prove to be shrewd move by the WilliamsF1 team but it could just as easily be a move in the wrong direction. 2005 was a year where the teams then tyre supplier Michelin dominated and Bridgestone struggled. With the WilliamsF1 team now been one of several major teams running the Japanese tyre Bridgestone's fortunes in 2006 could easily change. The move to allow for tyre changes during the races certainly seems to assist the Bridgestone runners.

In regard to its drivers the WilliamsF1 team has gone for a mix of experience, with Mark Webber in his second year with the team and team test driver Alex Wurz moving to join the team from McLaren, and novices with good prospects for the future with GP2 champion Nico Rosberg and ex Jordan driver Narain Karthikeyan.

For Mark Webber 2006 is certainly a year when he is out to prove a point. Many have him as a good qualifier but performs poorly in the race. If the FW28 allows him to show his talents 2006 could see Mark reaffirm his reputation and been one of the top Formula One drivers. As for Nico the team has given him a considerable amount of time behind the wheel, more than any other WilliamsF1 driver. Nico would clock up nearly 7,000km in winter testing. For the talented son of ex-Williams driver Keke Rosberg 2006 is going to be difficult but his career to date shows that he has the skill and talent to perform well.

But winter testing did show that his lack of experience in a Formula One car could see him make several mistakes. But it also showed that he has the necessary pace to do well outpacing Mark on several occasions. This combination of Mark and Nico may prove to be a brilliant selection on the part of the WilliamsF1 team. Let's hope so.

For Alex Wurz 2006 will again see him resigned to having to accept a testing role. He will also fulfil the Friday third driver role, a role where his experience should be of great assistance in allowing the team to quickly setup their cars. As for Narain Karthikeyan his involvement with the team has only been two tests. He has not taken on any major role during the winter testing. It would seem that Narain's involvement with the team was done to secure a sponsorship deal with the Indian conglomerate TATA.

The team has been cautious in their assessment of their 2006 chances, they are looking at it as a season where the teams plans are aimed at returning them near to the top of the Formula One teams. That no one should write them off just yet is very clear as the team is working hard to rebuild their reputation as one of the most successful Formula One teams.

Whether the teams new FW28 with its Cosworth engine can deliver will be known in a little over a week from now. The lead up to the first race has seen the team having to deal with some problems but in the run up to the opening race of the season I am quietly confident that the WilliamsF1 team can deliver a season that will see them struggle at times but also embarrass some of their more highly financed rivals. The team should be able to obtain some podium finishes and if Mark can put it all together even surprise us with a race win.

After the difficulties of the past years 2006 may turn out to be a year where the WilliamsF1 team puts all theses behind them and delivers a season that will see its supporters come away feeling that it was a step in the right direction and a successful result. The WilliamsF1 team has made it part of their history of been the small independent team that has successfully taken on the might of the likes of Ferrari. Let's hope 2006 will see another successful chapter written into the teams history.