2019 Williams F1 Team - Mercedes

[turbof1]

If that is actually true, and Tobi Grüner usually is spot on, then it shows how deep Williams has sunk. If other teams show such contempt, it is telling how uncompetitive Williams will be not only this year, but for years to come might be.

[dfegan358]

I agree, it is hugely questionable whether Williams will have a functional and legal F1 car ready to compete and complete a full race distance.

So sad to see the team like this.

I worry about the future of Williams F1 to be honest.

[garygph]

https://twitter.com/tgruener/status/1103641463634751490

How could they do this if they cannot even get their own car ready?

I find this situation incredibly disappointing for a team that was at the sharp end of the grid at one time. FW was in charge then as well so has he let go of too much? Please may something happen with staff or whatever it takes that we do not loose this team from F1. It would be a tragedy in my opinion.

[Manoah2u]

https://twitter.com/tgruener/status/1103641463634751490

OUCH!

I agree, it is hugely questionable whether Williams will have a functional and legal F1 car ready to compete and complete a full race distance.

So sad to see the team like this.

I worry about the future of Williams F1 to be honest.

well, fat chance they'll be able to run in melbourne, so that's gonna have quite a hefty impact on it too, no matter in what state they already are finding themselves in.

that's gonna have a serious blow on stock too, which would only further devalue the team and put them further down.

i'm sure kubica has a get-out clause too if they can't get him a car for the first race - that would be an obvious breach of contract. that would go the same for russell, really.

as for kubica, if that happens, then kubica might opt to say 'screw you' and leave, and that would mean he'd take his sponsor money too, wich would be another deadly blow. if russell gets pulled out by mercedes, that means any discount deal with williams is also out of the window, and would impose another financial hit. there's quite the chance they're obligated to take a season worth of engines from mercedes and there's no clause to get out of that.

i also wonder to which proportion or in which way Paddy Lowe is contracted to Williams.
I heared he did not buy into the team in the end, but then i read a lot of recent reports stating that he actually did.
If he's out, then you can be darn sure he's gonna take his stake from williams too.
and finally, paddy lowe coming from Mercedes, is there some sort of deal there too or not?
Could paddy leaving also impact Mercedes relationships or more financial deals we don't know of?

if that is true, then it's going to be a wonder if they're gonna survive.

[munudeges]

If that is actually true, and Tobi Grüner usually is spot on, then it shows how deep Williams has sunk. If other teams show such contempt, it is telling how uncompetitive Williams will be not only this year, but for years to come might be.

I know it might seem like we're having a pop at Williams on this thread and revelling in their predicament, but, we're not. It is desperately sad to see them in this state, a team many of us have grown up with. A privateer team of hard nosed engineering and hard nosed business decisions ploughing their own furrow being successful.

[munudeges]

I find it amazing that some people still think technical directors actually design cars, they are senior manages in charge of hundreds of people, they lead, they direct, they put the people and the systems in place.

No, they are not. That's what many people have led you to believe in order to muddy the waters. We have seen with how Williams and McLaren have fallen, and in other teams, that simply does not work. When the brown stuff hits the fan a TD needs to be able to grab control of the situation and say "We're making X, Y and Z modifications". Williams's aerodynamic problem last year was a case in point. You cannot design a Formula 1 car by committee. Adrian Newey still has a drawing board for a reason. McLaren are dumping their matrix structure and recruiting James Key for a reason.

Ultimately, a TD needs to know the regulation book from front to back and come up with a philosophy and a clear direction for the car because ultimately when things do go wrong everyone will look to him first. He is someone who should never have the wool pulled over his eyes.

[munudeges]

https://twitter.com/tgruener/status/1103641463634751490

That's just incredible. A team of Williams's race wins and championships being held in such contempt by their fellow competitors.

I can't get over what an insult that is.

[KeiKo403]

When teams can secure drivers like Massa, and personnel like Lowe and Smedley and then get a billionaire invester into the team that should propel them forward.

Obviously the problems at Williams are way up high.

Maybe a lot of us (me included) were way too judgmental about Lance being a terrible pay driver.

[foofykid]

Is it crazy to say that this might be slowly the end at Williams

[marmer]

When teams can secure drivers like Massa, and personnel like Lowe and Smedley and then get a billionaire invester into the team that should propel them forward.

Obviously the problems at Williams are way up high.

Maybe a lot of us (me included) were way too judgmental about Lance being a terrible pay driver.

he is far from the worst driver they have employed... a certain Pastor comes to mind. i think the hate towards lance is largely from him seeming to block perfectly good talent from getting a drive such as ocon

[munudeges]

and finally, paddy lowe coming from Mercedes, is there some sort of deal there too or not?
Could paddy leaving also impact Mercedes relationships or more financial deals we don't know of?

Quite. Just how much Mercedes involvement is there in this? I'm pretty sure they don't want to see Williams disappear, not least because they would lose a political ally, but Williams might have to bite the bullet here and sacrifice some of their independence for survival. They already have with the number of embarrassing pay drivers they've had, so I don't get this whole 'independent team' rubbish. Come up with a technical partnership with Mercedes, but use it as a means to an end to go independent again in the future. Not winning championships with BMW and spurning their advances for greater involvement as a result looks to have been another costly mistake. Ferrari fought tooth and nail for that championship in 2003. Williams just didn't.

[santos]

Well they could ask to Mercedes, lend them the car they used in the first week. Not totally, but the parts like HAAS use from Ferrari.

[nzjrs]

Well they could ask to Mercedes, lend them the car they used in the first week. Not totally, but the parts like HAAS use from Ferrari.

Gene Haas would put a stop to that.

[RonDennis]

Can someone also explain to me why Claire Williams is still there? She's clearly not capable of leading the team. Terrible decisions, even the godawful livery was her idea. How much more can she damage the company? Everybody that loves F1 would like to see Williams do good, but they seem to be miles of the pace and without any leadership.

[GrandAxe]

The team is always a reflection of the boss. Williams was has been on a steady downward slope since the period of Frank's accident and Patrick Heads departure. Clearly they haven't been able to fill the void left by these giants - it has nothing to do with Paddy Lowe.

In interviews, Claire Williams always comes across as somewhat lost. Take this one on Williams change of livery for instance and how she not only used the word "I" several times (low self-confidence giveaway), but also seemed to be constantly searching for validation: https://www.pitpass.com/63872/Frank-lov ... new-livery

Another team boss in her position would have simply gone straight to the point of what the colours mean and that Williams expects to deliver exactly that. No added fat. It is impossible to imagine Christian Horner or Toto Wolff sounding so lost.

When the boss is lost, the team too is lost. Ugly politics and forked tongued lap dogs take wing and fill the gaps, because no one knows exactly what the boss is communicating - it might not be this bad (yet) at Williams, but it could very well be.