Formula 1 Launch: Williams reveals sleek new car paint colors and Gulf Oil partnership for 2023 season

Williams reveals updated paintwork for the FW45, adorned with new sponsors like Gulf Oil; Alex Albon and rookie teammate Logan Sargeant aim to lift the team’s rankings in 2023 after five dismal years; Williams also has a new captain at James Vowles, who will start on February 20

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Williams Racing has revealed their new paint colors for the 2023 Formula 1 season.

Williams has revealed their new paint colors for the 2023 Formula One season after agreeing a major new partnership with Gulf Oil.

The third team kicked off their campaign with a premiere, Williams showing off an updated blue and red colorway adorned by many new sponsors at their Grove base, before their FW45 car racetrack debut next Monday.

The most notable addition to the paint color is the Gulf logo, with the oil company partnering with another F1 team after its partnership with McLaren ends in 2022. Many have speculated that that Williams’ car could feature the famous Gulf blues and oranges.

“This demonstrates the strength of our brand and commercial offerings as we continue to transform,” said Matthew Savage, Chairman of the Board at Williams.

“Gulf and Williams Racing share an illustrious motorsport heritage and together we are making history with this partnership.”

Williams, one of the most successful F1 teams of all time but has been marked down in recent years, has undergone a transformation since Dorilton Capital bought the team from the legendary Sir Frank Williams in 2014. 2020.

Alex Albon returns for a second year with the team this year and will be teamed up by rookie teammate Logan Sargeant, F1’s first American driver since 2016.

Williams will also have a new captain James Vowles – Mercedes’ much-respected chief strategy officer – although he is not available for Monday’s launch as he will not begin his role until February 20th.

The FW45 will hit the track at Silverstone on Monday, February 13, before pre-season testing begins next week.

All pre-season testing will be streamed live on Sky Sports F1 from February 23-25, as well as every Formula 1 practice, qualifying and race. Opening the season is the Bahrain Grand Prix ​​on March 5.

Will the rookie help Williams end a string of miserable matches?

With 16 world championship titles, only Ferrari and McLaren have won more than Williams – but Grove’s side have finished bottom of the table in four of the last five seasons.

Powered by Mercedes engines, Williams will aim to leapfrog the field in 2023 after scoring eight points last year and says it has heavily developed the sidepod concept on this year’s car.

They also say there are modifications to the front suspension layout and “key external aerodynamic surfaces”, while the car will be “aerodynamically more efficient” than the FW44 of the season. previous prize.

Williams drivers Alex Albon (left) and Logan Sargeant

Tasked with leading their rebuild are Vowles, while Albon – Max Verstappen’s former teammate at Red Bull – and rookie teammate Sargeant make up a young driver lineup.

“The team worked really hard last year and over the winter to address some of the key areas of our cars, doing their best to try to maximize what we get,” said Albon. from cars for 2023”.

“I’m looking forward to seeing what the FW45 can do.”

Sargeant, 22, replaces Nicholas Latifi at Williams after finishing fourth in the Formula 2 championship last year.

He added: “I’m really excited that the season will start after what, to me, feels like a long winter! I’m extremely motivated and we put in a lot of effort.

“The car looks fantastic and it shows the tremendous effort the team put in during the season, so I’m looking forward to starting work at Silverstone before heading to Bahrain.”

Williams also has a driving academy that includes three-time W Series champion Jamie Chadwick, who is bidding to make his name on Statesside this season in Indy NXT.

Williams’ liver over the years

Williams’ 2019 car, FW42

Williams’ 2020 car, FW43

Williams’ 2021 car, the FW43B

Williams’ 2022 car, FW44

What’s new in cars for 2023?

While there are no revised rules for next year like 2022, there are minor changes to the rules and cars that teams can take advantage of.

Most notable is the higher ride height. This is essentially lifting the cars higher off the ground to help reduce the bouncing ‘hanging’ that has affected teams – most notably Mercedes – in 2022.

This is done by raising the floor and throat edges, and the diffuser rim has also been hardened. There is also an additional set of sensors to effectively monitor dolphin capture.

While these are primarily for safety reasons and are initially expected to cost teams time due to stiffer floors, it can also narrow the range with higher ride heights. arguably the key to the 2023 cars of Red Bull and Ferrari.

Other changes to the cars revolve around outlaw designs like an Aston Martin rear spoiler and a Mercedes front spoiler from 2023, plus more safety additions.

For example, the rotation was enhanced after Zhou Guanyu’s dramatic accident at Silverstone last year.