Williams have revealed their 2023 car with the most notable addition being the new partnership with Gulf Oil.
They become the third team to reveal their new charge with the FW45 making its debut next Monday.
Gulf Oil ended its partnership with McLaren after the 2022 season leaving the company open to exploring other options. When rumours first started circulating, some predicted the new Williams would feature more of the famous Gulf colours.
“Gulf and Williams Racing share an illustrious motorsport heritage and, together, we are making history with this partnership.” said Matthew Savage, Chairman of the Board at Williams.
The team will hope this influx of new sponsors will signal a change in fortunes for the British team. They have been languishing at the back of the grid after a series of unsuccessful cars that struggled to keep pace with the rest of the field.
Dorilton Capital took over the team in 2020 from the late Sir Frank Williams and will hope that fresh faces will lead to more points in 2023.
New recruits bring new ideas for Williams
In EF1’s 2023 driver rankings Williams came bottom of the pile although there is still room for cautios optimism.
Logan Sargeant is a star of the future and brings with him the support of the United States. Formula One’s involvement in North America is ramping up year after year. Consequently, this could lead to more opportunities for the team down the line.
It will be interesting to see how they market the home favourite to fans in the three US races this year.
They have also got the very capable Alex Albon leading the team after a successful first year back in F1. Couple that with a stronger Mercedes engine should see the team make great strides this year.
However, the strongest hand Williams have played by far is the acquisition of James Vowles from their engine suppliers.
The highly regarded strategy specialist has joined Williams as Team Principal for the new season and brings with him a wealth of experience. He operated at the top during Mercedes golden period of wins in the modern era.
Where do you think Williams will finish in the WDC and WCC 2023?
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