Williams FW29 - The Launch [Archive]

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jens

15th January 2007, 22:27

Again some information from anonymous source. :D Arguably it should be Williams's secret first test at Silverstone.

But anyway, I like the colour theme. ;)

http://img234.imageshack.us/img234/4711/williamsfw29hz7.jpg
http://img109.imageshack.us/img109/9086/williamsfw29bix2.jpg

Scuderia ferrari

15th January 2007, 22:36

COR!

Well, the actual car comes out Feb 2ND (an anonymous source!) But i'd love it if that would be the actual color scheme

ChrisS

15th January 2007, 22:38

at&t is the title sponsor and they will only appear with 2 little logos on the front wing? and whats lenovo?

andreag

15th January 2007, 22:46

and whats lenovo?
The chinese computer company which bought IBM PC's division on 2005.

POS_Maggott

15th January 2007, 22:52

You would think that they'd be displaying the Toyota colours at least a little bit, eh?

jonny hurlock

15th January 2007, 23:27

BeansBeansBeans

16th January 2007, 00:04

You would think that they'd be displaying the Toyota colours at least a little bit, eh?

Nope, I wouldn't have expected that at all.

millencolin

16th January 2007, 00:11

i think it might be a temporary paintjob... you would think AT&T would have more of a presense... but it looks good, lot better than that hack of a mclaren livery

tsarcasm

16th January 2007, 08:13

perhaps for a lenovo advert

Hawkmoon

16th January 2007, 10:46

Ditch the white. It adds nothing to the car.

I think it would be better if it was all navy blue with minimal white highlights. Something like last seasons test car.

ArrowsFA1

16th January 2007, 10:53

Sorry, but all those aero sticky-up-and-out bits make the cars butt ugly http://emcsmileys.com/s/672.gif

I agree with Hawkmoon that the '06 test livery looked great :up:

Donney

16th January 2007, 11:42

The car looks good, although last year's looked better.

RJL25

16th January 2007, 11:55

im thinking it must be an interim livery if a livery at all (can anyone say photochop?) cos there is no way that the title sponsor would only get on the front wing and no-where else. And the car is obviously the 2006 car and not the 2007 challenger

jwhite9185

16th January 2007, 14:06

Looks almost like the Williams did back in the BMW days...

Giuseppe F1

16th January 2007, 14:36

That is photoshopped - come on guys!

THIS is the real interim livery from Jerez today with Nakajima at the wheel

Cant see 'denovo' anywhere:

http://images.f1racing.net/large/67072.jpg

http://images.f1racing.net/large/67066.jpg

I think the guy who posted the previous pics looked at the AT&T logos on the front wing, new Philips logo on the nose etc and so decided to move up those visuals.

I think the fact RBS features so prominently means it has to be an interim job - surely AT&T will have much more livery coverage as title sponsor.

Giuseppe F1

16th January 2007, 14:43

Compare the 2 front wings:

http://images.f1racing.net/large/67072.jpg

http://img234.imageshack.us/img234/4711/williamsfw29hz7.jpg

Makes me think that 1st image is a phoney.

Giuseppe F1

16th January 2007, 17:44

In keeping with my tradition of giving you the new team logos as of when they are released, please find the new AT&T Williams F1 Team logo below

http://www.autosport.com/competition/attwil.gif

Like the new Scuderia Ferrari logo looks quite "NASCAR/MOTOGP" but I like this one I must admit - shame they havent incorporated the term 'F1 Team' somehow, but nice all the same - good strong brand identity

jens

16th January 2007, 17:59

As it has turned out then arguably FW28C model should be on those pics that I posted. But I can't be sure as well. :eek: :p :

zoostation

16th January 2007, 18:05

any pics of the new car yet?

16th January 2007, 18:29

Sorry, but all those aero sticky-up-and-out bits make the cars butt ugly http://emcsmileys.com/s/672.gif

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

As someone who would have been responsible for some of those vanes and chimneys, I can see the art.

Besides which, prettiness is irrelevant and always will be when the name of the game is lap times.

Ask Sir Frank if he wants a quick car or a looker.

Valve Bounce

17th January 2007, 04:06

I wonder what the car would look like with the white replaced by the bright red of the new Ferrari? Can someone with photoshop please oblige?

RJL25

17th January 2007, 05:04

i predict a largely similar paint job to 2006, only real difference will be the appearance of AT&T on the front and rear wings as well as the sidepods. I think the dark blue and white with light blue trimming will again be the livery, although an almost completely blue car with just a little bit of white as trimming would look pretty darn good if you ask me!!

I know Alliance was on the rear wing last year but considering it was left off the interim paint job i think AT&T will appear on the rear wing in its place. I wonder if Alliance has left the team completely or if they are just taking up a more minor sponsorship position... anyone know? Also I think FedEx has jumped ship to mclaren as they also missed a spot on the interim livery with AT&T again taking their place, this time on the front wings. Also Mobilecast.. whats happening with them?

wmcot

17th January 2007, 08:53

I like the interim livery. The solid blue looks nice. I hope the don't go back to the blue-white inverse of BMW/Sauber's white-blue again. Too many cars look too similar. Last year, it was difficult to tell at a distance BMW/Sauber from Williams and McLaren from Midland. It makes it tough to watch the cars from far away on TV. Even the announcers were mixed up on occasion. Only Ferrari (always red) and Toyota stand out (Toyota may be unattractive to some, but at least it's original!) There seems to be too much blue and white on the grid. I'd love to see McLaren go back to the original orange and BMW use bolder stripes across the car like in DTM. I miss Jordan's yellow on the grid.

ArrowsFA1

17th January 2007, 09:34

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

As someone who would have been responsible for some of those vanes and chimneys, I can see the art.

Besides which, prettiness is irrelevant and always will be when the name of the game is lap times.

Ask Sir Frank if he wants a quick car or a looker.
All very true. I'm just an old fart :p who prefers the clean lines of a (for example) Williams FW07

Ranger

17th January 2007, 09:57

There's an idea for current teams - green!

RJL25

17th January 2007, 10:06

There's an idea for current teams - green!

this years honda will either be green, or atleast have alot of green in it. You heard it here first

Ranger

17th January 2007, 10:23

this years honda will either be green, or atleast have alot of green in it. You heard it here first

I saw something about that - whoops.

Looks like 2007 is by far a greater year in terms of liveries than 2006.

ShiftingGears

17th January 2007, 11:21

IMO the best looking Williams has probably got to be the FW08, never liked the ground effect skirts that much :p :

http://www.historicgrandprix.com/images/_MTR0835.jpg

srt40

18th January 2007, 16:44

The Car in the pics is a 28B at Jerez, last week, in 07 livery, for filming purposes. It isnt a photoshop. The newer 07 is also visible on the nose. The colour scheme is accurate but sponsor positions etc will be fine tuned, like the annonced sponsor today for example. ATnT the title sponsor are exactly that, the title. Their presence on the car will not be huge in the way a McMerc title sponsorship works.

Giuseppe F1

18th January 2007, 17:10

18th January 2007, 19:18

All very true. I'm just an old fart :p who prefers the clean lines of a (for example) Williams FW07

Strange how nostalgia makes us believe things were better in the old days. Not all old Williams had been beautiful.

tinchote

19th January 2007, 00:15

Strange how nostalgia makes us believe things were better in the old days. Not all old Williams had been beautiful.

But the FW07 was really beautiful. The same cannot be said of the following models, in my view :)

srt40

19th January 2007, 01:28

Do you have a source please?

Hi sorry no source, but take my word that that car sat in that livery in the racebays before christmas, The Itinery said that it was a 28B and a filming week and FW stated in a talk that AtnT would primarily appear in locations where the Williams brand is being displayed, and not much by itself. NOt sure if its been said but you can see the 07 logo on the nose the circle with the W in. Looks very nice IMHO.

Chev_350

20th January 2007, 14:07

If its a photoshop its a damn good one and i mean a DAMN good one.

V12

20th January 2007, 14:38

Give me a blue/yellow/white 1991/2/3 Williams any day, FW07 looks good a little before my time though :)

AJP

21st January 2007, 01:57

it's not photoshopped....

as V12 said...it would be great to see the blue / yellow / white combo again..

ArrowsFA1

2nd February 2007, 10:50

We'll get to see what the future holds for Williams today :cool:

http://attwilliams.com/

Giuseppe F1

2nd February 2007, 11:27

So, the new AT&T Williams team launch today.....does anyone know what time?

It is widely expected that Williams will annouce a major sponsorship deal with Chinese IT partner 'LENOVO' and that at&t, although being title sponsor, will have comparitevely small exposure in terms of on-car branding.

Cant find any news online as to time of launch though? Im guessing it would be in the morning some time however??

ArrowsFA1

2nd February 2007, 11:34

When I posted the link there was approx 1hr 13mins to go according to the countdown so...about 1/2hr to go :D

Erki

2nd February 2007, 11:43

There's nowhere to put that AT&T logo when the car consists mainly of aero bits...

harsha

2nd February 2007, 12:48

waiting..... :D

Giuseppe F1

2nd February 2007, 13:01

First Picture:

http://www.autosport.com/images/upload/1170416892.jpg

Hardly NO AT&T branding! haha

Giuseppe F1

2nd February 2007, 13:02

Williams aim to bounce back with FW29

Friday, February 2nd 2007, 11:40 GMT

The Williams team unveiled their new FW29 car on Friday with the intention of bouncing back from their worst season in Formula One last year.

The British squad finished in eighth place in last year's standings after scoring just 11 points and failing to reach the podium all year.

"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," said team boss Frank Williams.

"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."

The new car will be powered by a Toyota engine after Williams decided not to continue their relationship with engine suppliers Cosworth.

Technical director Sam Michael said the car is an evolution of last year's FW28 concept, with an aggressive aerodynamic package and a visibly radical front wing.

Michael said the car had already passed all the FIA's crash tests.

"The FW29 continues the design philosophy of the FW28 with a zero keel configuration," said Michael.

"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.

"The other prominent differences from the FW28 include large chimneys expressly for cooling at the season's first three races and a narrower engine cover spine.

"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."

The team also announced a major new sponsorship agreement with Lenovo, a computer manufacturer, whose logos were very visible on the car.

Ranger

2nd February 2007, 13:13

Livery ain't bad.

But unfortunately I think the Williams team have reached a point and are now starting to recede to the point where they were at the start of their long GP history - the battlers at the back of the grid.

If this new car doesn't bring them improved results on 8th in the WCC, then I would think that the extinction of the Williams team within the next 5 years is inevitable. Maybe it already is. :\

harsha

2nd February 2007, 13:19

the last great privateer team :mark:

jens

2nd February 2007, 13:25

RJL25

2nd February 2007, 14:07

the car sure does look evolutionary doesn't it! No surprises in this cars design.

Obviously there are positives there in the sense that they will have a very good understanding of what they've got, but geez i can't help but think that when you had such a bad season which they had last year, they needed to grab a clean sheet of paper and start again! not do what appears to be nothing more then a bit of a mid-life upgrade of the FW28....

And AT&T seems to be the strangest sponsorship arrangement in recent history! They are the naming rights sponsor, yet they have only have some small decals on the front wing and rear wing end plates... very odd

agwiii

2nd February 2007, 14:16

The era of private teams is inevitably over or has been for quite a number of years already... Jordan, Minardi and Sauber were trying, but all of them had to disappear. Now Williams is the very Last of the Mohicans (for example RBR is not a classical privateeer, as it's based on a company). Super Aguri is maybe only another team that can be called a "privateer", but they are pretty much relying on their #1 team, so wouldn't call them a "classical privateer" as well.

But never mind - the car of Williams doesn't look bad though, but it will be tough to exceed their last year's point score.

Jens, we went to this fire last year, and things don't look any better for Team Willy. Perhaps it's present in a small form, but I don't see the Budweiser logo. I read an article about name brands that argued the three most valuable and recognized brands on the planet were Marlboro, Coca-Cola, and Budweiser. I saw Williams salvation as their ability to expand the Budweiser support, which would have led to a red Williams. Unless something very dramatic develops, I am afraid we are watching the swan song.

Giuseppe F1

2nd February 2007, 16:17

The cars look really cool IMO in this shot:

http://www.motorsport.com/photos/f1/2007/gen/f1-2007-gen-tm-0661.jpg

Giuseppe F1

2nd February 2007, 17:16

Im sorry, I know sponsorship these days in F1 is multi-faceted and involves much more that just a logo-sticker on a car, but I am still confused at to why/how AT&T have signed up terms as a title sponsor with SO little on-car/driver branding!

I mean...space on the front wing winglets, rear wing endplates and a weblink on the rearwing - RBS and LeNovo visibally have MUCH more signage - plus, looking at the following there is NO AT&T branding on the drivers helmets - why?:

http://www.motorsport.com/photos/f1/2007/gen/f1-2007-gen-tm-0679.jpg

http://www.motorsport.com/photos/f1/2007/gen/f1-2007-gen-tm-0666.jpg

http://www.motorsport.com/photos/f1/2007/gen/f1-2007-gen-tm-0665.jpg

http://www.motorsport.com/photos/f1/2007/gen/f1-2007-gen-tm-0668.jpg

So many teams this year arent branding the torso area of drivers overalls - Red Bull Racing, i expecting to have the standard RedBull logo emblazoned on this area, instead they just have plain space and Williams too......for sure, fashion and style is very important in modern day F1, yet isnt that huge white space on the Williams overalls on the torso section worth hundereds of thousands if not millions of dollars in advertising real estate???

jens

2nd February 2007, 18:59

One more observation - the front wing reminds quite much Renault's, doesn't it?

ChrisS

2nd February 2007, 20:36

So many teams this year arent branding the torso area of drivers overalls - Red Bull Racing, i expecting to have the standard RedBull logo emblazoned on this area, instead they just have plain space and Williams too......for sure, fashion and style is very important in modern day F1, yet isnt that huge white space on the Williams overalls on the torso section worth hundereds of thousands if not millions of dollars in advertising real estate???

Speaking of overalls, the ones the drivers were wearing at the launch are different from the ones the were wearing at the studio pics.

The overalls at the laugh don't have a Toyota logo on below AT&T, reuters appears twice on the right sleeve and there is a small Allianz logo above the TATA logo on the left sleeve

http://www.motorsport.com/photos/f1/2007/gen/f1-2007-gen-tm-0679.jpg
http://images.f1racing.net/large/67833.jpg

Scuderia ferrari

2nd February 2007, 22:16

Well, i like the look of this car, radical new changes to it, and nice new colour scheme, hopefully they can make up for the misery me season they had last, summed up perfectly at brazil.

RJL25

3rd February 2007, 03:00

Well, i like the look of this car, radical new changes to it

what radical changes? it looks just like the FW28 with some minor aero modifications...

wmcot

3rd February 2007, 07:36

Hopefully Toyota power will be a radical change. Cosworth started out 2006 fine, but you had to believe they lost ambition knowing they were going nowhere in the future. Nothing against Cosworth, any company would do the same when the writing's on the wall.

If Williams have the same Toyota engine as the factory team, they may surprise a few fans this year since Toyota has been looking good in testing.

I've never been a great Williams fan in the past, but I'll be wishing them well this year. I've got a new respect for Frank after watching "The Secret Life of Formula One."

(I LOVE that front wing!!)

p.s. Anybody got a link to Hi-Res wallpaper sized images?

wedge

3rd February 2007, 15:36

Looks like the FW29 could be a dark horse and certainly the most interesting car on the grid.

Their sidepods are plain and simple compared to everyone else. I don't have a degree in aerodynamics but it seems they have gone back to basics by going back to zero-keel, looked at under-car aero with the huge front splitter at the bottom of the chassis and huge rear diffuser.

So yes, the FW29 is a radical design, and by that I mean its radically different design philosophy to everyone else who've been looking at re-sculpting sidepods and their winglets.

Storm

5th February 2007, 09:31

A decent livery, not too different from last years but quite nice.

Ted S

5th February 2007, 23:57

The question is, how fast will it be?

leopard

7th February 2007, 04:32

This isn't bad they might want to appear like when they go with BMW, but I think last year's was better.

Williams seems want in anyway comparable to BMW, when BMW looked totally white last year they have total dark blue, when BMW have green this year they have more white, BMW have Petronas williams have Petrobras, Sadly Williams' performance last year can't catch up BMW's don't they? Running Toyota machine i doubt it will be right choice for Williams.