Williams Racing revealed their 2023 livery for their new challenger on Monday, the FW45, alongside the announcement of a big new international partnership between Williams and Gulf Oil.
The FW45 was unveiled at the team’s ‘season launch’ event, which was hosted by popular Formula 1 presenter Will Buxton, he was was joined on stage by both Williams drivers Alex Albon and Logan Sargeant, who will be hoping they can lift the team from the bottom of the Constructors’ Championship standings and make progress in the 2023 FIA Formula 1 World Championship.
The main news from the launch was the confirmation of the partnership with Gulf Oil, with the logos of the company appearing on the dark blue and black colour scheme of the FW45. The livery contains some smaller details such as the use of the Duracell colour scheme on the airbox, confirming the continuation of their partnership too.
The team confirmed that they had “taken the opportunity to heavily evolve the sidepod concept” on the new car as a result of “optimising the power unit cooling layout,” with Williams using Mercedes power for the tenth consecutive season. The team has also made promises that the car will be more aerodynamically efficient than it’s predecessor, with certain modifications being made to the front suspension layout, giving the car improved handling characteristics.
“As Williams Racing continues its transformation, we’re proud to unveil this year’s livery,” said Matthew Savage, the Chairman of the Boards at Williams Racing.
“We are excited about this year’s car, and I cannot thank the entire team at Grove enough for their hard work to get ready for the season. I am delighted to welcome both new and existing partners to our journey. With our new Team Principal James Vowles joining us later this month, as well as our exciting driver line up of Alex and Logan, Williams Racing will be giving its all in 2023.”
Albon was one of the best drivers in 2022 and will be hoping to continue his form alongside a competitive car in 2023.
“I’m really excited to be starting back for another year with the team. The car looks great and will hit the track at Silverstone. The team has worked really hard last year and over the winter to address some key areas in our car, putting in the work to try and maximise what we get out of the car for 2023, so I’m looking forward to seeing what the FW45 can do. We also welcome new partners to the team this year, so it’s great to have them onboard.”
Sargeant comes into the team for his first season in F1, and the only American driver on the grid is looking forward to getting started and attempting to impress.
“I’m really excited for the season to get started after what, for me, feels like a long winter! I’m super motivated and we’ve put a lot of hard work in. The car is looking amazing and it shows the huge effort the team has put in the off season, so I’m looking forward to getting started at Silverstone before heading out to Bahrain.”
