Williams FW40 Mercedes

[DAMNINice]

It seems like this car has no bargeboard assembly or other aerodynamic bits and pieces at all.

Seems like they have a decent plan to start with a good to understand package and add some things here and there when they have understood their car properly.

[Sevach]

Either:

- Williams is the least willing to show their hand in the bargeboard area (most likely)
Or
- They're *really* clinging to this low drag thing in favour of downforce producing elements

As I say, almost certainly going to be the former, but funny that they're the only car not even showing some kind of representation of their stuff bargeboard arrangement.

I guess Mercedes and Ferrari were running the car on track so wanted to run something that provide relevant data and so knew people would see that anyway.

I hope they don't delay too much showing their hand, last year they bet everything on a front wing that didn't get ready for pre-season testing (or the opening rounds) and when they got it the team found out it changed the balance of the car a little too much and had trouble exploiting it for a while.

So i hope they have good reason to hide it (a lot of teams are already showing complex arangements but not a whole lot out of the ordinary, stuff we used to see in 2008) and don't mess themselves up playing games.

Last year Mercedes didn't play any games, introduced their "W floor" right away, same thing with the nose and FW, maybe other teams should consider it.

With that said, the coke bottle on this car is pretty impressive.

[LookBackTime]

WILLIAMS REVEALS FW40 FOR THE NEW ERA OF FORMULA ONE

25 FEB 2017


The Williams Mercedes FW40 was revealed online today ahead of pre-season testing in Barcelona. This is a precursor to the first pre-season test at the Circuit de Barcelona, where the car will be seen on track for the first time with Felipe Massa behind the wheel on Monday 27th February.

With the first race of the 2017 Formula One season just around the corner, it’s shaping up to be one of the most highly-anticipated seasons in recent memory.

The new regulations could shake up the grid as everyone tries to find the best solution to the new regulations. This season, we will see the return of wider tyres, as well as revamped aerodynamics and a more physically demanding experience for the drivers.

Celebrating 40 years in the sport this year, the first image of the team’s 2017 challenger, the Williams Mercedes FW40, shows a very different look to 2016’s FW38.

This season we will see wider bodywork, wider front and rear wings, and fatter tyres. As a result of this, there will be a significant increase in downforce and mechanical grip with the 2017 cars really able to attack the corners, significantly faster than they have done in recent years. That, in turn, means braking distances will be reduced and G-loading will increase.

Drivers will be pushed to their limits physically, which is why a key focus for them over the winter has been on training hard in preparation, with the primary focus on upper body strength. With the increased downforce there comes an increase in drag, and in some cases a reduction in the higher top speeds we have seen in recent years. That doesn’t mean laptimes will increase though, quite the opposite.

Laptimes are predicted to fall and lap records are expected to be broken. To set blistering laptimes, teams will need some heavy duty rubber to stick to the track. Pirelli have certainly delivered that with the significantly wider front and rear tyres. The front tyres are 60mm wider, but the rear tyres have increased by a staggering 80mm. This also poses a new challenge for the pit crew with heavier tyres and modified wheel guns needed. Practice is underway as the team prepares to fight to keep its position as the fastest pit crew in Formula One.

In order to be quick out of the blocks, teams will need to understand the new tyres, and do so quickly if they want to be, and remain, competitive. The team has increased its effort in this area which will hopefully mean it can start the season already having a good understanding of the new rubber. In-season tyre testing will also be more crucial than ever before, as understanding the tyres and how they work will be one of the key factors in pulling performance from the car.

Although cosmetically the 2017 cars will look very different to their 2016 predecessors, the core of the car, the power unit and the areas situated around the power unit, have not changed a great deal.

Barcelona’s pre-season testing will give teams the first real indication of how the cars are going to perform. But, similar to the engine regulation change in 2014, no one will have a real sense of the pecking order until we get to Melbourne. Even then, things can change extremely quickly, especially when the margins between success and failure are as slight as they are in Formula One.

[LookBackTime]

They did show the new mirrors arrangement =D> !!!

[Sevach]

The edge of the floor also has cuts now, pretty standard, but the render didn't have any.


The front wing has it's vertical vanes back and a cascade behind the cascade.



S-duct opening


Aside from the obvious... shark fin.

[HungryHebbo]

This is surely just a launch spec - there aren't even any brake ducts!

[Duke]

They are just very slim, a bit like on the Mclaren before

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McLaren_M ... ia_FP3.jpg

Of course as most people know what we see here is different to what will be tested on track in the next two weeks and what they will look like in the first race.

[LookBackTime]

Alberto Rodríguez‏@Albrodpul

[roadie]

There certainly doesn't seem to be the same complexity of design seen on other cars launched so far this year.

It looks as though the radiators/intercooler are very flat inside the sidepod and although it isn't a double floor type arrangement as seen in the 2014 car that the amount of space beneath the sidepod is high.

I guess the team might start adding more complex parts during testing and evaluate their impact thoroughly?

[ringo]

What happened to FW39?
Is it bad luck to use that number?

[ajprice]

What happened to FW39?
Is it bad luck to use that number?

40 years of the team this year, so they are calling the car FW40. http://www.williamsf1.com/racing/news/w ... -of-racing

[Mattchu]

What happened to FW39?
Is it bad luck to use that number?

They named it the FW40 because it`s the 40th anniversary of Williams this year (1977-2017).

[stefan_]

In these photos we can see a FW40 with very basic.... everything. Wings, bargeboards, turning vanes, brake ducts... Oh wait. There are NO brake ducts.

We'll have to wait until testing begins to see what they designed for this year.

[Moctecus]

This is surely just a launch spec - there aren't even any brake ducts!

Starting in 2012, Williams have mostly shied away from running traditional brake ducts at the front. They are drawing in the air exclusively with inlets between the blade on the wheel mounting and the sidewall of the tyre. Exceptions are made on tracks where brake cooling is most critical, like Mexico last season.

[edu2703]

I guess the team might start adding more complex parts during testing and evaluate their impact thoroughly?

Exactly. That's what the tests are for.

Money will not be a problem for Williams this year for the development of car and now they have Paddy Lowe and Dirk de Beer. So, it's expected to see new parts during the tests and during the season.

But, of course Internet is full of 'armchair engineers'. If you go to Reddit and see the comments. Many people think Williams will race in Melbourne with this car in the pictures above. In addition to the 'armchair engineers' saying Williams will be in the back of grid because of basic car design.