Williams Launch FW30 Colour Scheme
Williams F1 Team have finally show the world the colour scheme that their 2008 car, the FW30, will wear as it races for the title this season.
The new car, which was unofficially launched during testing has been relatively impressive, propelling drivers Nico Rosberg and Kazuki Nakajima up the timesheets. Also, German test driver Nico Hulkenberg has been impressive in the car.
Apart from major frontwing failure which caused Nakajima to have a major accident, there have been very few problems for the British team.
The new livery is mainly a navy blue colour, with splashes of white on it. It looks very much like the old liveries when BMW were the engine supplier. In terms of sponsorship, the car is certainly not bare. AT&T remain as the main team sponsor with presence all over the car. Lenovo kept their rear wing advertisment, and RBS also remain as a major feature of the engine box. Hamleys (as mentioned below) are now a very prominent sponsor on the sidepods. BR Petronas have their spot above the barge boards.
Reuters appear on the cockpit sides, All Saints on the rear wing and Oris on the front wing endplates.
Williams will be hoping that their Toyota powered car can return them to the glory days, when they were challenging Ferrari and McLaren for points, wins and titles.
Patrick Head commented during the livery launch,
“We don’t really target any particular team. We are just trying to do the best we can. Ferrari won the championship last year so they are the target,”
“Obviously I would be disappointed if we cannot get in and give the odd Ferrari and the odd McLaren a fright during the year. But both of the teams seem to be in very good shape for the start of the year.
“BMW, I think, have had a difficult introduction but they seem to have got it pretty well sorted now and I think they will be quick.
“Red Bull seems quite good, but they have been stuck in the garage a few times. Renault have made some positive noises and I am sure they will be better than last year but you don’t get the impression they will be challenging Ferrari and McLaren.”
He added: “We know we’ve got a much better car than last year’s car and a much more stable back end on it and things. But I think quite a number of teams have got improved cars.”
Livery Launch Pictures
Rosberg Confident For 2008
Nico Rosberg has declared himself confident for the forthcoming season after a successful week of tests.
The German driver is going into his 3rd season, and his 3rd with Williams. He is now looking for podiums, and believes the FW30 is the car to do it in.
“We’ve had plenty of running in the wet this week and we looked pretty good, which was positive,” Rosberg said about the Barcelona tests.
“It wasn’t that easy to drive in the conditions, it’s hard to keep the tyres in the working window, especially without traction control, so you’re always on the limit.”
“We seem to be progressing well with the new car and I am happy with the improvements we’re making,” he added.
Williams FW30 Track Launch
Williams F1 Team have shown their new 2008 car, the FW30 on track for the first time today in Valencia.
The British team opted against an official launch of their new car, instead bringing it out on track.
The car was scheduled to be launched last week at Jerez, but it was put back a week so that adjustments could be made.
Nico Rosberg and Kazuki Nakajima are the teams 2 race drivers. Nico Hulkenberg is the team test driver.
The current livery is part of a special comemorative series, and the official race livery will not be revealed until the Australian GP in March.
Technical director Sam Michael said: “Our focus has been on performance as well as refining our packaging and weight distribution.
“We are designing a tidier car with a higher standard of build quality. The FW30 should represent a good step forward when all of the many small areas of attention and improvement are brought together in the overall package.”
CHECK OUT THE WILLIAMS FW30 GALLERY:
