2022 what lies ahead for Williams Racing

As Williams Racing fans as well as the rest of the Formula One world await the Williams Racing teams announcement regarding the launch of their 2022 challenger the FW44 it is again that time of year where we all question what the prospects are for the year ahead.

Ever since we had the embarrassing situation of the 2019 FW42 whose launch had been delayed subsequent years have always had that dimension of will it happen again. Now it's 2022 and we are yet to hear of the official launch day from the team. But does this mean that we can't take an optimistic view of the season ahead in terms of what the prospects are for the team.

Late 2020 and into 2021 saw many major changes at the team the primary one being the change of ownership followed by changes in management and technical staff. The CEO would see Jost Capito take on this role while the new technical head was François-Xavier Demaison. Several other changes would also be seen and over the course of the 2021 season the team would achieve some positive results even if they could be described as lucky ones given that their points scoring results were achieved in what could only be described as unusual races. The team would finish 8th in the Constructors Championship which could only be considered a major step forward over previous years.

But with the team facing the significant changes in the regulations for the 2022 season that would see major changes in the design of the cars with things like 18" tyres been introduced along with the return of ground effect. There would be a lot more standardised parts from the rear wing through to the wheels. In addition we will see other changes including bigger brakes all adding to the challenges that the Williams team has to contend with as they went through their design and production process for the new car.

As we look forward to 2022 the major factor that I see as a huge positive for the team simply has to be the growing confidence within the team that they have the resources and the staff in order to take on teams that finished ahead of them in 2021. All the changes that have taken place really do seem to be producing results, maybe not massive ones but positive results nevertheless.

But now we have 2022 and the new technical challenge that the team has to face. The big question has to be with the new technical team, led by Demaison have they been able to tackle these new regulations and produce a competitive 2022 car. When answering this first of all they have been given the opportunity to design a new car from scratch not having to contend with a design that was known to have issues as in the case of the 2021 FW43B. This really gives them a step forward over what they were allowed to do in 2021.

Also the added advantages that the budget cap combined with the high amount of wind tunnel and CFD simulation work, relative to teams above them, that the team is allowed to run has also assisted them in the design and production process of the 2022 car. But ultimately it will all come down to how well the design team at Williams have dealt with the new regulations to produce a competitive car, something we will only get the answer to come testing and the first series of races.

Also for the team there is the aspect of having one still relatively inexperienced driver, as in Nicholas Latifi, joined by a driver who was been out of a full time drive in 2021 Alex Albon.

For Nicholas his last few seasons have been very much of aiming to improve but the big question is now in 2022 he will have to show his talent to a far higher and more consistent level. For me I am confident that we will be able to do this. As for Alex his new start as Williams Racing comes off several difficult years at Red Bull. Will he be able to turn his career around and use this new lease of life to produce some really competitive performances on the track.

Hopefully his new home at Williams will allow him to come out of the shadow of Verstappen and make his own story of a driver who really took the opportunity given to him by Williams Racing. For Alex it is very much the case of how quickly he can return to full time driving. For me this is not even an issue.

The one positive thing that has already been highlighted by the Williams team is the return of Nicholas and Alex as drivers sharing the same team, which they saw when they both drove for DAMS in F2. This already positive relationship can only bode well for things like the development of the 2022 FW44.

But so much of the positives within the 2022 Williams Racing team will all be limited by the competitiveness of the teams 2022 car. But after their 2021 recovery I am full of confidence that they are heading in the right direction in so many areas. After the difficulties of several what can only be described as terrible season 2021 has given the team the self belief that they can achieve more in 2022. As Captio had said in respect of 2021: "It was a huge success for us that nobody would have believed was possible." I simply see 2022 as been a year where they can again deliver and again be successful.