Williams Racing has taken the wraps off their 2024 contender, the FW46, during a shakedown in Bahrain just before pre-season testing. While other teams opted for earlier shakedowns, Williams chose Bahrain’s stable weather over Silverstone’s unpredictable conditions, aligning with new team principal James Vowles’ strategy for virtual testing.
Between the lines
- Williams Racing delayed their FW46 track debut, favoring virtual testing and a Bahrain shakedown over a Silverstone run.
- Team principal James Vowles prioritizes efficient use of time and resources, seeking tangible data from track activities.
- Albon and Sargeant shared driving duties during the Bahrain filming day, offering first impressions of the new car.
- Alpine, Haas, and Mercedes also conducted pre-season activities at Bahrain, indicating a busy buildup to the official tests.
Go deeper
While the New York livery reveal generated buzz, Williams kept their 2024 machine under wraps until Bahrain. Vowles, the former Mercedes strategy guru, is steering Williams with a data-driven approach. He believes in the value of virtual testing to maximize the team’s preparation before hitting the track.
The FW46’s shakedown coincided with promotional filming, a clever move to combine marketing and testing objectives. Albon and rookie Sargeant provided valuable feedback, which will be crucial for the team’s development.
Williams wasn’t alone in Bahrain’s pre-test buzz. Alpine showcased their A524 with Gasly and Ocon at the wheel, while Haas and Mercedes used the opportunity for additional filming and testing. This collective push hints at the intense competition expected in the 2024 season.
As the teams converge on Bahrain, the stage is set for a revealing pre-season. The data gathered here will shape strategies and car development for the year ahead. Fans and teams alike are eager to see how the new cars perform under the desert sun, with the first race looming on the horizon.
The Grove-based team brought a front wing with an innovative side bulkhead to Bahrain: the arched outer flap turned into a solid trimensional one. The solution made a brief appearance and then was put sideways in the pit, but it will be seen again in the three days of testing.
Williams one curiosity brought it to the track in Bahrain: the Grove car in the images released yesterday after the filming day had not aroused particular excitement and we had called the FW46 a very rational car, without strokes of ingenuity.
Already in the early stages of the opening day of collective testing in Bahrain, however, Williams offered us an interesting novelty in the front wing with an innovative concept that will certainly pique the curiosity of the opponents. The side bulkhead, in fact, shows us a novel idea: all single-seaters have always had the double-arched flap. On the Williams the novelty lies in the appearance of a three-dimensional structure that occupies the volume allowed by the regulations. This is a solution that made a brief appearance in the morning and then was put to the side, but it is likely to be revived in this single pre-season test session.
