Williams Unveil FW29

Grove-based Williams launched their 2007 challenger today at their headquarters near Oxford. Named the FW29, the new car is powered by Toyota, and will be driven by Nico Rosberg and Alexander Wurz. Nico will be entering his second season with the team as a racing driver, and Alex has been promoted from test and reserve driver following Mark Webber’s move to Red Bull Racing.

The car remains predominantly blue, something which most people liked when they raced last year, and the car looks just as pretty with its low nose and sculptured body. AT&T and Lenovo join the team as sponsors, and RBS continue their relationship with the squad.

Without question, 2006 was not our finest year but I am delighted to see how the entire Williams workforce has pulled together and redoubled its efforts over the winter. It is how you perform in adversity that really counts. We begin this year with a completely new brand identity courtesy of our new partners AT&T, four new or upgraded sponsors including Lenovo, a wealth of new engineering talent and, of course, what we hope to be the focus of all these efforts and ambitions, the FW29. Frank Williams.

The FW29 continues the design philosophy of the FW28 with a zero keel configuration. The other notable elements of the design include another step in the undercut of the sidepod leading edge (with top louvres for cooling), improved engine and exhaust packaging to address the reliability issues experienced in 2006 and a lower and narrower top deck for improved aerodynamic efficiency. At the rear of the car, a twin pillar configuration supports a lighter and lower drag rear wing, now featuring FIA-mandatory slot gap separators to prevent deflection and a lower and wider rear impact structure as required by regulation. Sam Michael.