Williams FW32 Cosworth

[axle]

It will be a clean sheet design!

I expect the FW31 was compromised for an expected KERS release and with the change in powerunit's they felt starting fresh with what they'd leart would be best...

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/81003

autosport.com
Williams is pinning its hopes on an aggressive new aerodynamic package in a bid to return to winning ways this season.

Technical director Sam Michael told this week's AUTOSPORT magazine that the team's new car would not be a simple evolution of its 2009 design.

"The FW32 is a clean-sheet design from front to back," he said. "It's pretty much brand new from an aerodynamic point of view."

According to Michael, the radical new regulations for 2009 gave the Grove-based squad the opportunity to bridge the gap to the front-running teams, and he believes that Williams's consistency last season is a strong platform to move forwards.

"The fact that we had a consistent car across all of the tracks in 2009, and wiped out a lot of the vices that we had in the previous car, gives us confidence."

Williams also believes in veteran Rubens Barrichello and GP2 champion Nico Hulkenberg the team has a strong driver line-up to help achieve its target of wins.

"Rubens is quite a demanding guy, in a positive way, because he wants to achieve things quickly," explained Michael. "He is unlikely to be around in five years' time because of his age and has a sense of urgency about him."

Hulkenberg is rated as one of the best young drivers around and, after two years at the Oxfordshire team as a test driver, is fully integrated.

Along with Barrichello, who pushed Jenson Button for the title last season, Michael believes the team has its best chance of re-establishing itself as a winning squad.

"The amount of pushing Nico is doing will be good for Rubens," said Michael. "Nico has been quick since he started at Williams and he's been pushing himself very hard."

[Confused_Andy]

I really hope Rubinho and Nico can get Williams back to winning ways, this bit of news sounds promising.

[marcush.]

It will be a clean sheet design!

I expect the FW31 was compromised for an expected KERS release and with the change in powerunit's they felt starting fresh with what they'd leart would be best...

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/81003

autosport.com
Williams is pinning its hopes on an aggressive new aerodynamic package in a bid to return to winning ways this season.

Technical director Sam Michael told this week's AUTOSPORT magazine that the team's new car would not be a simple evolution of its 2009 design.

"The FW32 is a clean-sheet design from front to back," he said. "It's pretty much brand new from an aerodynamic point of view."

According to Michael, the radical new regulations for 2009 gave the Grove-based squad the opportunity to bridge the gap to the front-running teams, and he believes that Williams's consistency last season is a strong platform to move forwards.

"The fact that we had a consistent car across all of the tracks in 2009, and wiped out a lot of the vices that we had in the previous car, gives us confidence."

Williams also believes in veteran Rubens Barrichello and GP2 champion Nico Hulkenberg the team has a strong driver line-up to help achieve its target of wins.

"Rubens is quite a demanding guy, in a positive way, because he wants to achieve things quickly," explained Michael. "He is unlikely to be around in five years' time because of his age and has a sense of urgency about him."

Hulkenberg is rated as one of the best young drivers around and, after two years at the Oxfordshire team as a test driver, is fully integrated.

Along with Barrichello, who pushed Jenson Button for the title last season, Michael believes the team has its best chance of re-establishing itself as a winning squad.

"The amount of pushing Nico is doing will be good for Rubens," said Michael. "Nico has been quick since he started at Williams and he's been pushing himself very hard."

isn´t it a bit contradicting to state on one side to have removed all the inconsitencies and flaws of prvious cars with the FW31 and choose to not carry over but start with a clean sheet of paper instead?

To me the reality in Car build will be constant evolution from now on and stopping to have a new wholeshebang for the new season.
The big teams will rub their eyes just how much of their available workforce and buget will be used up just to keep the stocks at decent levels ...So in the end lean production methods will be called for ..find someone who is hydroforming those inconel tubes for the exhaust headers being called supplier or engineering partner as a return instead of having the guy working 2 weeks of precious time on each set of exhausts...

[Scotracer]

And they say they're trying to do their bit to help the environment. Pfft, look at all that wasted paper! They should re-use sheets.

[jon-mullen]

I can't find anything since September (and the FOTA shake-up) about whether Williams still plans to run KERS on the FW32. Thoughts?

Is AT&T Williams continuing to develop KERS for 2010?
We fully support the use of KERS and always have done. Given the environmental and sustainability pressures that Formula One is going to face in the future, KERS is a positive step for the sport. It’s in next year’s regulations, so we’re continuing developing our system with a view to using it on next year’s FW32.

[Pit]

Wasn't there a press release stating that the development of their KERS was stopped?

[ESPImperium]

I really hope Rubinho and Nico can get Williams back to winning ways, this bit of news sounds promising.

Amen to this.

If Rubens can impart a wealth or parts of his technical knowelege onto Nico and they can come up with a fresh, innovative design that we know that Williams can, and have done in the past, im sure that their spell in the wilderness can be put behind them.

[WhiteBlue]

... im sure that their spell in the wilderness can be put behind them.

I would think that Williams new hay days are still one or two seasons away. When the resource cap really starts to bite there may be more chances. This year we will see unrestricted aero development again from the big teams. No aero homologation was agreed despite earlier announcements towards that goal.

[noname]

isn´t it a bit contradicting to state on one side to have removed all the inconsitencies and flaws of prvious cars with the FW31 and choose to not carry over but start with a clean sheet of paper instead?

"clean sheet design" does not exists. all your new designs are the results of the experience you gathered in the past.

it may be new in the sense it represents some new concept but it will be fruit of the work done in 2009 and earlier, and even if they decided to follow different path than with FW31, it's due the lessons from the previous season.

the car was designed by the same team, with the use of very similar, if not the same, processes, tools, etc. it may be radical evolution but still only evolution.

[ESPImperium]

... im sure that their spell in the wilderness can be put behind them.

I would think that Williams new hay days are still one or two seasons away. When the resource cap really starts to bite there may be more chances. This year we will see unrestricted aero development again from the big teams. No aero homologation was agreed despite earlier announcements towards that goal.

Also aggreed.

As Garry Anderson said in Autosport towards the end of 2009, what needs to happen is that every 4 or 6 races the cars get holomoginised for new aero parts. And thats the only way that smaller teams can compete with the bigger teams. And i can see a way to make the bigger teams develop their car less going on/linked to the previous years standings. Thus stufeling development of the cars and enforcing a cost cuting measure arguably easier.

Im not wanting to start a cost cutting argument again, but i think that Wiliams could start to florish in the next 2 years. If they kkep a good driver line-up and get good sponsor money, they will eventualy be great again.

[marcush.]

clean sheet of paper does not exist... yes of course ,the boffins will not get a brainwash before starting the 2010 contender....
but just why would you say the 2009 hack was without fundamental flaws and then come up with a new aero concept ,as hinted by sam michaels? you instantly loose all the hard earned data when pursuing new paths ....maybe to an extend that you may not be able to go back to proven solutions.
But maybe Michaels hints at something completely different;maybe the 2009 concept would not work in 2010... for reasons of weight distribution ,packaging and of course the constraints imposed by the new engine and transmission ,which is obviously affecting more or less two thirds of the car anyways....

[noname]

But maybe Michaels hints at something completely different;maybe the 2009 concept would not work in 2010... for reasons of weight distribution ,packaging and of course the constraints imposed by the new engine and transmission ,which is obviously affecting more or less two thirds of the car anyways....

that's my first guess. there was no flaws in 2009 car, but for some reasons maybe they've just decided there is not enough potential for development or change of the rules (albeit not as radical like the last one) made aero philosophy behind FW31 unsuitable in the new conditions.

regards

[timbo]

there was no flaws in 2009 car

Sure? I remember reading that once again Williams somehow screwed front-end aero.

[noname]

there was no flaws in 2009 car

Sure? I remember reading that once again Williams somehow screwed front-end aero.

maybe "no major/significant flaws" would sound better ?

could you put here any reference to the text stating problem with front aero of FW31 ? thanks in advance.

[timbo]

there was no flaws in 2009 car

Sure? I remember reading that once again Williams somehow screwed front-end aero.

maybe "no major/significant flaws" would sound better ?

could you put here any reference to the text stating problem with front aero of FW31 ? thanks in advance.

Can't find anything specific
Maybe my memory mixes FW30 and FW31.
It seems there was problem with low-downforce config, being not exactly "low" and thus giving too much drag.
And there was a talk (here?) that the fact they changed three different nosecones pre-season speaks of some aero problem.