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Before the FIA issued its Tech Directive on front wing flexibility a couple of weeks ago, Williams had already gone a long way towards introducing a more aero-flexible front wing for this car, following the lead of McLaren and Mercedes last year.
It has proceeded with this wing and it will be on the car for the first eight races (at which the ’24 interpretation is still valid). “All the teams will be doing what they can with that,” says Team Principal James Vowles, “but some will be more advanced than others. I don’t think we’re market leaders on that. But the rule change [from the Spanish GP onwards] doesn’t trouble us and will probably have a more profound effect on others.”
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In summarising the team’s prospects, Vowles said: “You’re going to see us progress forwards but what I’ve always said is we’ve put our focus into 2026, ’27 and ’28. We’re developing elements that come online as a result of that. We have this year huge infrastructure changes that have come online.
“We were 700 people, now over 1,050 today and we’re not finished yet. There’s a lot more in the pipeline. That’s all happening in the background. What I want to make sure that we’re doing is not just the short-term, little bit of gain at the cost of the long term.
“We’re here to make sure we’re back to winning championships, to do that it will take a little bit more time but that’s the investment we’re doing. But watch our pathway, this should be a good one this year.”