2018 Williams F1 Racing - Mercedes

[Mr Brooksy]

So long as the team preserves their knowledge base and workforce there is really nothing to lose by working with Mercedes.

But that's the whole problem, they would lose their broad and comprehensive technical capability which would cost them their true independence and their ability to control their future. Williams, for all their current challenges, have maintained themselves as a viable/independent/full-car constructor. For example, Williams make their own gearboxes. Haas doesn't, Force India doesn't, Toro Rosso doesn't, and I think Sauber doesn't.

In the short-term it would probably be more cost effective to buy transmissions from Merc. The tradeoff is that once you become a transmission-buying B-team, you quickly lose the expertise to make your own transmissions and it never comes back. It never comes back. There are probably many other examples as well. Becoming a Haas-type B-team would fundamentally hobble them in a way that Frank, Claire, et al have put huge amounts of effort into avoiding.

I can root for them as a true independent racing team, through good times and hard.

Could not have said it better!

Start rant...

Williams are not a B team. They have never been and hopefully will never be. Williams is a full constructor (minus engine), and they should be given credit where credit is due.

Will Force India, Haas, Toro Rosso etc win a championship? Highly unlikely ever. Unless they build their own car.
Just ask Red Bull racing, they, as a customer had/have the resources to build a faster chassis than the factory Mercedes/Ferrari teams, would Mercedes/Ferrari offer RBR their class leading engines? We already know the answer to that... No.
Why then are we deluded to think that a constructor of other parts provide their best bits to customer teams to only be beaten to a world championship? Its highly unlikely especially for very long.
Buying others parts relegates you to the chasing pack permanently.

The only team in modern history who was a customer team to win a title is Brawn... But let's not forget only months before the 09 season, they were factory Honda benefiting from all the R&D from previous seasons. And in 2010 they fell back into the midfield because they were bought by Mercedes and they didn't spend 09 doing R&D and building for the next season like the other teams.

The only reason this has been coming up this past 9 months or so is because Williams have been punching below their weight. It's not cause they can't be higher up the order, it's because they should be. It's Williams not performing, not because they have the wrong business model.

Daddy Stroll should shut his face and go join a B team if that's what he wants. Sure his son may have better short term results but long term he'd never make an A teams driver line up at his current level. Williams is an A team in crisis. Which for Lance is actually a blessing in disguise, it takes the pressure off his performance and develop while the team get themselves sorted. Daddy Stroll should be intelligent enough to recognise that.

And an A team in crisis always has more potential than a B team. Williams need to get their act together and keep pushing.

If Williams ever did follow Haas etc, then there'd be no reason to race. Cause they'd no longer be racing to win.

End rant...

[netoperek]

I'd say if such move was ever intended by Williams board, they would never have signed Paddy. They want way out of the crisis, yes, but such a degradation of form would be the very last resort IMO.

[SimonFW11b]

I would rather have a ''B" team Williams, than see the team fold.

You can make an argument for the increased headcount and costs of being an independent constructor, but only if you do it better that the 'B" teams; This has not been the case for Williams for many years, not just this year.

Frank was an innovator, Claire needs to have courage and vision or its game over for my beloved team.

[adrianjordan]

If any team takes that option, I could see if being Force India, but not Williams. They're an engineering company FFS, if an engineering company stops engineering their own parts then what is the point of anything??

[bill shoe]

I would rather have a ''B" team Williams, than see the team fold.

Agreed. But the B-team path is one-way, meaning pretty much non-reversible. If they stay independent for now, they could always choose to work out a B-scenario in subsequent years.

I think current plans are to keep the team's head above water until new 2021-era. In theory this era should be much better for smaller teams, but of course past promises for new small-team-friendly changes have never worked out. Probably Claire is waiting to see how significant the changes really are, and then B-team etc. decisions can be made then. So at least one or two more seasons treading water just to get clear info on future structure of the sport.

[Zynerji]

Just buying engine, trans and suspension isn't the end of the world for Williams, and could save them millions.

[SimonFW11b]

I think the aim for Williams must be to partner with an OEM again, and so I was surprised that Claire was so vocal against partnering Honda last year. I don't think she sees the bigger picture beyond running Frank's team and being in Toto's pocket, and Claire seems unwilling to take the big (existential) decisions which are clearly overdue.

If no manufacturer can be found, then I think the 'B" team is the only other business model that is sustainable, this probably being the case beyond 2021 until manufacturer influence is dramatically reduced ,like the WEC in recent years.

[Big Tea]

I think the missing ingredient at Williams is Patrick Head more than Frank Williams. Yes Frank was the driving force behind the team, but Head was the 'mechanical guy' who I think was a master of delegation, and knew enough about things to know if it worked.

Without him Williams don't seem to have the direction they had in the glory days.

[Thunder]

[media]https://twitter.com/tgruener/status/993822633455177729[/media]

[bauc]

Come on Williams, you are better than this, if you want to protest you need to do it right after the race .....

[Fulcrum]

Williams might not have an option. Force India would benefit immensely from such a deal.

Usually Force India start slowly, then get stronger as the season progresses. Imagine them starting with many common elements from a GP winning car? They're not going to forget how to develop a car by going the Haas route.

Haas typically drops off as the season progresses because they lack funding, lack knowledge resource, and are probably the least well integrated team on the grid. Most of these points don't apply to either Force India or Williams - funding being the obvious exception, and they're probably better funded than Haas anyway.

Quite frankly, if Williams don't take the chance, Force India will, and I think that would make Williams even more marginal than they are now. They'd be 3rd tier partners, like Sauber are to Ferrari, but without the benefit of sponsorship from a Mercedes-sibling brand that Sauber enjoy from Alfa Romeo.

[Zynerji]

Ericsson/Stroll pay budget, buying engine/ trans/ suspension/ data from Merc, redeploy resources from mechanical to aero departments. Pick up computer/ sim sponsorship, compete in upper midfield, Profit.

[Raleigh]

2021 does present a chance for Williams to return to the front if Liberty Media can achieve their goals of budget caps and bringing more manufacturers into the sport. However if Williams is going to draw in a PU supplier and become a works team again they need interim performance, limping round at the back in survival mode isn't going to convince the likes of BMW or Audi to partner up.

Running Mercedes suspension and Mercedes style aero would offer a way back into the upper midfield, basically get the team onto a good development path which can be taken further in the future without Mercedes so long as Williams recognises the temporary nature of this arrangement and maintains their own tech base.

Another point to consider regarding new manufacturers is that Aston Martin is clearly interested in Formula 1, and have links with Mercedes via existing engine deals for road cars. However Aston is currently in F1 with Red Bull, and if Honda signs to become RB's works partner (as looks increasingly likely) then Aston is out. So where might they go? Given the links with Mercedes, an Aston badged or developed engine for one of Mercedes' existing customers is possible, and if that customer was already working with Mercedes chassis-wise (and therefore guaranteed to be competitive) the deal would be a lot more attractive to Aston.

Aston Martin Williams? It's possible, though I could honestly see Force India taking that deal much more readily than the Williams family.

[bill shoe]

I have impression Vijay Mallya is looking to sell Force India equity for cash.

If Merc is looking to enter a B-team partnership I think they would probably not offer cash, they would just offer a long-term contract for engines, other parts, technical support, control of race seats, etc. No reason for them to pay for someone else's equity. This is all well and good but it doesn't give Vijay cash.

Williams, on the other hand, want to maintain independence and not lose cash. So seems like no fit here either, but for different reasons.

[Raleigh]

Aston Martin has cash, they can bankroll a Mercedes B-team.

A combination of budget caps, better revenue distribution and guaranteed competitiveness via Mercedes partnership would make an Aston Martin team both financially attractive and successful on track.

Though again I can see many reason why this is more likely for Force India than Williams.