2019 Williams F1 Team - Mercedes

[PhillipM]

You've got to be joking, even the most in-house build of an f1 car will have dozens of suppliers - dampers, calipers, brake discs, hydraulic pumps, spool valves, actuators, radiators, intercoolers, CV joints, driveshafts, etc, etc, even down to bolts, they only make a bolt in house when they have to for special use. Even the raw materials for the parts they are making in house - carbon fibre, resins, inserts, etc, etc.
Not to mention all the garage tooling, airguns, boxes, packing, etc.

[Raleigh]

The difference is between full constructor teams like Mercedes who build the tub, bodywork, suspension, gearbox, everything that makes sense inhouse, and then you’ve got the likes of Racing Point who buy suspension/gearbox and subcontract out their composites work (or Haas who are a special case and buy a complete race ready car from Dallara)

Williams is still one of the full constructor teams, building their own suspension and gearbox inhouse, apart from the engine they build just as much as teams like Ferrari and Mercedes.

Unfortunately in today’s F1 that’s a hard path to tread, Williams are running on a much smaller budget than the top teams and B teams working with customer parts are very competitive.

[muramasa]

Williams is still one of the full constructor teams, building their own suspension and gearbox inhouse, apart from the engine they build just as much as teams like Ferrari and Mercedes.

and McLaren, and that's why I respect and admire those teams infinitely more than other teams esp Haas (well in Haas case you should consider Dallara as a full constructor albeit with input from ferrari tho), no matter how they struggle. F1 and organizer should cherish those genuine independent teams and strive to make F1 structure such that those teams at least dont need to face such difficulty in surviving, but organiser and stakeholders are only interested in filling their pockets, that's why they are proposing cost cap that will never work and destructive things like standard gearbox (gosh that will destroy F1). Where the cost cut and cap should happen is on owners and investors side.

[Vasconia]

I have posted this in the pre-season testing post and I think this would be the best place:

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/arti ... ycfAe0FwPU

2 seconds behinds….this would be a disaster.

[Tzk]

that's why they are proposing cost cap that will never work and destructive things like standard gearbox (gosh that will destroy F1).

The standard gearbox would be the model that Toro Rosso and RedBull was using in the past. They shared the gearbox internals and built their own casing. Not sure how they're doing it this year, probably like RacingPoint, who just buy the whole assembly (engine, gearbox+casing) and somewhat fit their rear axle to it.

[munudeges]

https://www.racefans.net/2019/02/21/wil ... ng-crisis/

You can't add anything more to this. The finger is pointed squarely at those at the top, and at the suspect Technical Director who is now seemingly in hiding and has been found wanting.

[paulo_f1]

You can, in that it's a journalists opinion! He, and especially you, don't know what has been said internally or what the process of internal/analysis and action/redress is or will be. The company has said they're investigating it, will be dealing with it and it's not a matter for airing in public at this point.

You have to remember that Paddy Lowe is a director and shareholder at Williams, there is a legal duty of responsibility with Frank, Claire and Paddy to deal with this professionally and internally first, as directors of a UK company. This is even more important in the case of Williams, as the team is listed on the Frankfurt stock exchange, meaning their duty of care is to the shareholders, not you or the media.

As an aside, I find it hilarious that elements of the media and public are baying for blood and encouraging the Williams team to behave in the same comedy Machiavellian way that Ferrari has received untold criticism over the years for by the same journalists and public.

[nevill3]

I heard that someone accidentally set the cnc machines up using inches instead of centimeters and the parts came out huge

Seriously though a simple mistake somewhere could have had a cascading effect that caused the delay, a missed email or message saying something was ready or needed a tweak could derail any slick operation and with the teams always pushing things to the last possible moment a slight delay anywhere results in everything looking like a shambles. Who knows maybe they ran out of carbon fibre late on a Sunday night and had to wait until the shops opened on Monday.

Lets draw a line under it and applaud the teams efforts to salvage some decent running and data gathering albeit a little late. Roll on next week when they can turn the wick up and surprise everybody.

[munudeges]

You can, in that it's a journalists opinion! He, and especially you, don't know what has been said internally or what the process of internal/analysis and action/redress is or will be. The company has said they're investigating it, will be dealing with it and it's not a matter for airing in public at this point.

Ironically, you've perfectly exemplified in one post, why Williams are in the position they are in - utter denial. That inconvenient bottom line of where they are isn't going to be waved away with words. They have sponsors to answer to, and they expect answers, in public alongside their names and logos they have embarrassed.

You have to remember that Paddy Lowe is a director and shareholder at Williams, there is a legal duty of responsibility with Frank, Claire and Paddy....

The stopwatch doesn't care about the fallout from their poorly thought through and badly researched recruitment choices.

As an aside, I find it hilarious that elements of the media and public are baying for blood and encouraging the Williams team to behave in the same comedy Machiavellian way that Ferrari has received untold criticism over the years for by the same journalists and public.

You know what I find more hilarious? Their current championship position. Unless they do something about this now they likely won't survive much beyond this season. Goodness, they had to do something about last season now. There is simply no comparison whatsoever between Ferrari and the utterly desperate situation Williams are in and seem to be so blasé about. The delusion is if they keep coming out with the fighting talk and tweak one or two things they'll be back to winning ways.

[munudeges]

I heard that someone accidentally set the cnc machines up using inches instead of centimeters and the parts came out huge

You may jest.........

[Capharol]

I heard that someone accidentally set the cnc machines up using inches instead of centimeters and the parts came out huge

Seriously though a simple mistake somewhere could have had a cascading effect that caused the delay, a missed email or message saying something was ready or needed a tweak could derail any slick operation and with the teams always pushing things to the last possible moment a slight delay anywhere results in everything looking like a shambles. Who knows maybe they ran out of carbon fibre late on a Sunday night and had to wait until the shops opened on Monday.

Lets draw a line under it and applaud the teams efforts to salvage some decent running and data gathering albeit a little late. Roll on next week when they can turn the wick up and surprise everybody.

What is there to applaud? that they have lost of around 300 laps (maybe even more) due to a (for us unknown)problem?
Applaud because they are sandbagging what exactly that problem is (which I even partially can understand)
Applaud that Claire Williams trying to make it look likes "it's all okay, in Melbourne we'll be there"
Applaud that it might have been a operation failure somewhere (mail,wrong build, etc.), IF that's true, Williams has a bigger issue as expected.
Applaud of what they became? from a top 5 Team to a back runner in just a few years.

I still see Williams as a great team, because Williams is besides Ferrari the only team left (as far as i can tell, because the rest had morei then 3 other teamnames/owners) that have won championships, but is still there (for now, but for how long)
Because Williams (Claire, Frank or/and Paddy) are shooting themselves in the foot, not once, not twice .... but several times.

[miguelalvesreis]

You know what I find more hilarious? Their current championship position. Unless they do something about this now they likely won't survive much beyond this season.

Their CURRENT championship position?



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[Capharol]

You know what I find more hilarious? Their current championship position. Unless they do something about this now they likely won't survive much beyond this season.

Their CURRENT championship position?



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well i think aswell it's obvious they will be plumb last on the grid when Melbourne starts, or they must pull off something that might come near a miracle

[miguelalvesreis]

You know what I find more hilarious? Their current championship position. Unless they do something about this now they likely won't survive much beyond this season.

Their CURRENT championship position?



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well i think aswell it's obvious they will be plumb last on the grid when Melbourne starts, or they must pull off something that might come near a miracle

They are late on the game, that's for sure but, I think we can't, yet, read to much from the times they're posting. Let's wait till end of 2nd test to doom them. They were doing instalation laps and balancing and learning the car. Their times were not much worse then some other teams firts days.

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[Vasconia]

well i think aswell it's obvious they will be plumb last on the grid when Melbourne starts, or they must pull off something that might come near a miracle

They are late on the game, that's for sure but, I think we can't, yet, read to much from the times they're posting. Let's wait till end of 2nd test to doom them. They were doing instalation laps and balancing and learning the car. Their times were not much worse then some other teams firts days.

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[/quote]

I do agree, its an awful start but with a few days more they could be ready for the second test and do a good milleage. Let´s wait and hope for an improvement.