Williams is scraping off more and more paint on its Formula One cars to save weight – Any change must be discussed with marketing bosses
Since the Formula 1 race in Australia, Williams’ paintwork has been under attack. The engineers have successively saved paint in order to reduce weight. In Imola, the blue paint of the Williams was saved again, which is why more and more pure carbon parts can be seen. The engineers even asked whether it would be possible to drive without any paint at all.
However, the marketing department at Williams also has a say in this topic, as the sponsors want to be adequately represented in the premier class. However, the reduced weight should help to improve the performance of the car and maximise the results in Formula 1.
So far, engineers have removed paint from the nose, bonnet and sidepods, but engineering specialists even targeted the entire livery. Dave Robson, who is in charge of the cars’ performance, confirms that the engineers have made such a request to the team. “Yes, that’s absolutely the case,” he says on whether the idea was discussed.
Marketing bans naked car
There was, however, no permission to use a completely naked car. “That’s where the engineers meet the marketing,” Robson said. “We want the car to look good because that’s part of the sport. It’s not just about the livery of the car, it’s about the whole identity of the brand, which is very important. “
According to Robson, it is still a compromise, because on the one hand the car needs an identity, but on the other hand the sponsors are interested in achieving sporting success. To do that, they need a fast car. Williams is not the only team that has cut paint to get closer to the minimum weight: Aston Martin, Red Bull and McLaren have also made design changes.
Almost all the racing teams are struggling to get close to the minimum weight defined by the rule book with the new cars for the 2022 season, which is why the passage is hotly debated. Robson says: “We know that it is extremely difficult to reach the minimum weight. On top of that, the budget limit makes it more complex, especially for the bigger teams. “
Minimum weight questionable
“In a way it’s a bit of an arbitrary figure because if the FIA set the weight limit at 500kg you could never achieve it,” Robson added, arguing for an increase in the minimum weight. However, there could be a single team that made it to the limit and that would obviously block any change.
Robson won’t reveal how much weight Williams will save by scraping the paint. However, he speaks of a significant impact on the car. That’s why he also assumes that the team will do without paint for the entire year, if at all possible.
“It would cost a lot of time if we try to save weight elsewhere,” he says. “Hopefully it stays that way, because if everyone is happy with the way the car looks now, we can put the money elsewhere. “
