New F1 Regulations To Cause Resurgence From Williams Team?
The new regulations in Formula One are designed to cause dramatic cuts in costs. One has to wonder if this will level the playing field and if it will cause Williams to become a player again.
Sir Frank Williams is one of the guiding lights in Formula One. For a very long time, the team bearing his name was one of the foremost teams in the championship, often taking the driver and constructor top spots. From Senna to Hill, Williams was a force to be dealt with in Formula One. Formed in 1969, the team has taken nine world championships. Not bad for a privateer!
And then things changed. Dramatically.
What exactly changed? The primary issue became money. As more manufacturers launched teams, the cost of competing in the Formula One season became astronomical. The manufacturer backed teams thrived and the privateers did not. The last few seasons have seen the once proud Williams teams driving around the back of the pack as it simply does not have the money to keep up with the pace of development by teams like McLaren Mercedes, Ferrari, Renault and BMW.
This doesn’t mean there isn’t still quality at Williams. One need only look at the 2007 season to see as much. Using a Toyota power plant, the Williams team finished with 33 points in the championship. The Toyota manufacturer’s team? It could only must 13 points. Talk about embarrassing!
The 2008 season was a rough one for Williams. With Frank Williams rarely coming to the races anymore, many lamented the end of the team as a foregone conclusion. Then something funny happened. The FIA and the teams got serious about cutting costs. The costs for privateers to go racing have been slashed dramatically and the money being spent on developing cars has as well. There is a belief that we may see a more level playing field this year in Formula One. If so, one can surmise that Williams will become much more competitive.
Recent breaking news, however, may put a damper on much of this discussion. The economic crisis across the world has hurt many, but particularly banks. RBS, a bank, is the main sponsor of Williams. It appears the bank will be pulling out much as ING did with Renault. This is a brutal sponsorship loss for the team and it is hard to imagine the team finding another sponsor to shell out the necessary currency in this market. Hopefully, it can.
Formula One would be to the better if Williams were a competitive team. The cost cutting regulations would seem to be a move in the right direction for both Williams and the other privateers like Red Bull and Force India. Let us hope so!
Lemmy