Williams and Renault have struck a deal that would see the Formula 1 team use the latter’s engines starting next season. This move revives the “Williams Renault” name that should be no stranger to F1 fans – Renault supplied factory engines to Williams from 1989 to 1997, and that fruitful collaboration (Red Bull’s ace designer Adrian Newey was in the mix, too) won four drivers’ and five constructors’ titles.
Fans would remember the glory days of the Camel/Canon sponsored car and the famous Rothmans liveried Williams, but the car of today, which uses Cosworth’s V8, is no longer a front runner. Will this reunion power them up the field again?
“Our previous relationship with Renault was one of the most successful in Williams’ history but we will not allow ourselves to dwell too much on the past. We must look to the future and continue to re-build our on-track reputation, which I am hopeful that today’s announcement will help us to do,” said team principal Frank Williams, who also thanked Cosworth for being “a fair and reliable partner both on and off the track for the past two years”.
Co-owner Patrick Head shared a bit more. “A lot of these engines are very close in their ultimate performance, some of their characteristics will vary quite a bit. With Team Lotus one can see changing with engine, it didn’t light their performance up. We are never a team that looks for excuses but if someone says how much (of the deficit) is in the car and how much in the engine, the difficulty with the current engine and with the other teams running it,” he said.
“With the Renault engine in the back of a car from Milton Keynes at the moment, if someone went around saying it is not a decent engine… The Renault engine seems to be very good across the board,” he added, referring to champs Red Bull.
This deal is for seasons 2012 and 2013, with an option to continue when V6 engines are introduced in 2014. With Williams on board, Renault will be powering four teams on the 2012 grid, including Red Bull, Team Lotus and Lotus Renault GP.
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Let this be the return of Williams. They've been in the wilderness for far too long! Come on Williams, I'm rooting for you!
Its too late for Williams.
we missed the Benetton Renault.
Paul we want the last theme/formats for comment. This want not clear and cant see argument, not exciting……
Who are "we" that you are referring to? I personally happens to like this new template/feature.
Please define what you mean by "not clear" and "cant see argument"?
Come on, it's just a click. At least now you don't have to wait so long to load all the comments on popular posts!
In addition, now new replies will move the original comment right up to the top. In the previous format, new replies to comments in the middle of the comment section might be "lost".
Patrick Head manages to swipe TL and TF at the same time. What he says is true, if the engine is the same, what's left is the chassis tuning, the aerodynamics and the team.
"With Team Lotus one can see changing with engine, it didn’t light their performance up"
In TF / MG face.
LOL. Will this spark another bad tweet drama from TF?
British racing hv KOed long time already…
One of these Williams are Ayrton Senna's killer.
Along with a thousand other factors
The Renault/Mecachrome F1 engine should propel Williams F1 team further up the grid next year and I hope the technical department shake-up for 2012 can produce a solid chassis.
I wish the current williams will have back the yellow, blue, white theme. Such an iconic F1 car during the 80s.