Today we will get our first glimpse of the Williams FW33 in its definitive livery.
It’s being revealed at 11am GMT and you can watch it live online at www.attwilliams.com.
Here’s today’s round-up:
Links
Top F1 links from the past 24 hours:
F1 to lose $100m from Bahrain Grand Prix cancellation (The Daily Telegraph)
“The revenue from advertising at F1 circuits is received by FOA, which also gets the race hosting fees. Bahrain’s royal family pays an estimated $34m annually but FOA’s chief executive, Bernie Ecclestone, has waived the fee since the race will not be taking place.”
“Although the basis of the 2011 system comes from 2009, it has been completely re-engineered to ensure a much more competitive device. So every aspect has been optimised, including its integration with the vehicle. That has meant removing weight and significant repackaging to ensure it can be easily installed and removed from the car. This year’s system represents a weight saving of more than 10kg compared to 2009.”
Nick Heidfeld Q&A – An opportunity too good to miss 23 Feb 2011
“How much it is true that the car was built around Robert I cannot say as I simply don’t know how easy such a task would be. I am sure he gave a huge amount of feedback last season as the clear number one in the team so I assume his feedback was incorporated into this car. If this is a ‘Robert-spec’ car that is difficult for others to handle I could not say. I take it as it is.”
Two videos showing the FIA’s recent Young Drivers Initiative training day featuring comments from Alexander Wurz:
Follow F1 news as it breaks using the F1 Fanatic live Twitter app.
Comment of the day
Will the Bahrain Grand Prix be re-scheduled? sw6569 is doubtful:
The cynic inside suggests that Abu Dhabi are saying this because India won’t change its date as it isn’t built yet and Brazil has also shown a reluctance to change to a December 4th date (as it clashes with football – or have I made that up?)
I personally still think we’re not going to have a Bahrain race this season – which is a shame as 20 races are better than 19 (to the viewer).
sw6569
From the forum
McLarenFanJAmm asks what would you do if you were Bernie?
Happy birthday!
No F1 Fanatic birthdays today. If you want a birthday shout-out tell us when yours is by emailling me, using Twitter or adding to the list here.
On this day in F1
Happy 40th birthday Pedro de la Rosa!
Image © Williams/LAT
Grace
24th February 2011, 0:02
I can’t wait to see the Williams. I think we all know its going to look hardly any different though to the last few years. :(
US_Peter (@us_peter)
24th February 2011, 0:06
Even if it’s slightly different than last year’s livery it will be an improvement.
Ned Flanders (@ned-flanders)
24th February 2011, 0:24
Every year I expect them to do something interesting and yet it’s always boring. Maybe this year for the first time since the late 90’s they will come up with something interesting. But then I expected the same from Sauber and they let us down…
US_Peter (@us_peter)
24th February 2011, 1:01
Don’t remind me. I’m still not over it.
sato113 (@sato113)
24th February 2011, 1:16
sauber had to please all the new sponsors with a plain old livery. I think when the deals were made, their logos were designed/agreed on their old livery.
luigismen
24th February 2011, 0:35
It will be blue and white, with some lines of red
Hare (@hare)
24th February 2011, 5:58
I think it will be pink, with gold stars, ribbons… annnnnnd Shark teeth…
It’s gonna look like a prop from Sharky and George..
US_Peter (@us_peter)
24th February 2011, 7:02
I like your optimism.
Hare (@hare)
24th February 2011, 7:12
I’m sure of it.. I designed a version and emailed it to Williams! They didn’t email back because they want to keep it a total secret.
You wait! I’ll bet PM’s block of flats on it..
.. seriously.
US_Peter (@us_peter)
24th February 2011, 21:03
So did I just win PM’s block of flats?
luigismen
24th February 2011, 16:20
I was right!
Daniel
24th February 2011, 3:53
I like last year’s Williams. It was nicely understated. All the other cars are like ‘here look at me, I’m all bright and shiny!’ The Williams looked like a racing car, all business.
OEL
24th February 2011, 8:45
I don’t understand why you don’t like the old livery. In my opinion it was easily the best livery on the grid (and probably the best of all since the Mild Seven Renaults).
ajokay (@)
24th February 2011, 8:57
But when you have a good long hard think back, Williams’ liveries have mopre often that not been quite dull. The green and white Saudia liveries were dull. The Canon/Camel/Labatts liveries were colourful, but rather messy. Rothmans was quite bland.
In fact my favourite williams livery has to be the FW22 from 2000 – the first year with BMW power, the almost black blue in stark contrast to the white. Excellent livery, that one. Since then it’s just been blue and white in varying degrees.
If anything, the 1999 Winfield-sponsored horror was the most diverse and interesting, with the multi-coloured flashes as the back of various parts of bodywork.
In short, I’m not getting my hopes up.
Grace
24th February 2011, 11:09
I WAS RIGHT!!!
Fixy (@)
24th February 2011, 12:37
In fact, it is.
davey (@djdaveyp87)
24th February 2011, 0:04
Can wait to see the williams livery. Hope it will be loud, awesome & different.
TommyB (@tommyb89)
24th February 2011, 0:10
Looking forward to the Williams livery although it’s never as good as the interim livery they run. This years overalls suggest a Rothmans retro look but we’ll have to wait and see.
Master firelee (@master-firelee)
24th February 2011, 0:16
Its supposed to be a “Retro” livery so it could be different to the past um 6 years and it might be yellow, red, light blue, dark blue and white i think it might look like the one from 1985
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
24th February 2011, 2:02
According to Will Buxton, it will be blue with red and silver. It’s more likely Williams will be imitating the Rothmans livery rather than the Canon/Camel one.
Hamish
24th February 2011, 2:21
Its going to be very hard for it to look nice with that ridiculously high nose in there.
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
24th February 2011, 2:28
Have a little faith – I’m sure they can come up with something.
Most likely if will just be dark blue with siver across the nose and sidepods and a ribbon of red running through it. Hopefully they keep the large numbers from the interim test livery.
BasCB (@bascb)
24th February 2011, 8:01
You mean a bit like the Sauber only with the White and dark grey exchanged for dark Blue?
bosyber
24th February 2011, 8:41
Yes, we need more silver on the grid. Oh.
I hope BasCB isn’t right about his Saubered Williams at least, although I probably should expect the worst :)
If they keep the large numbers in, the livery will have to be different from last years though, which is good.
The Rothmans Williams also had a pretty high nose actually, so that isn’t such a problem in my view.
Master firelee (@master-firelee)
24th February 2011, 2:27
oh right i would think that they would have some yellow ahwell
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
24th February 2011, 2:56
The Rothmans livery never had yellow.
US_Peter (@us_peter)
24th February 2011, 2:59
But it did have gold.
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
24th February 2011, 4:01
Red would be going in place of the gold.
JPQuesado (@joao-pedro-cq)
24th February 2011, 0:18
I don’t know why but I’ve dreamed with a green and white livery, with tones of red and yellow. I think It would be a nice livery.
SeattleChris
24th February 2011, 0:42
I’ve dreamed of a cream body with heavy use of pink/brown/orange as the primary highlighting with maybe a hint of mustard yellow outlining. They could get a twinkie sponsorship and bring in the American audience! LOL.
US_Peter (@us_peter)
24th February 2011, 1:04
I want UPS to sponsor an F1 team. Brown and gold. There’d be nothing else like it.
sato113 (@sato113)
24th February 2011, 1:17
apart from the black and gold renault which could look quite similar.
Joey-Poey (@joey-poey)
24th February 2011, 3:20
Not really because UPS doesn’t really have gold so much as yellow per say.
Coefficient
24th February 2011, 8:48
They actually sponsor a couple of Porsche’s in the Supercup and they look awesome!! That metallic dark brown certainly looked rather sexy in the sun at Monza to me anyway!!
Scottie
24th February 2011, 2:12
so you liked the old bennetons then!
It’ll be nice to see at lease a small change with the williams livery!
Bentschke
24th February 2011, 0:44
I think it will be another boring livery. All the cars just about look the same on tv – even renault have a car that will blend in with everyone elses. How about someone does something radical that will get noticed – pink, orange, bright green – surely the sponsors would love it because it would be impossible to miss such a car! Enough of boring ‘traditional’ colour scemes – lets see some fun and excitement in the sport.
Burnout
24th February 2011, 4:44
Spyker tried that with an orange livery. It didn’t stand out as much as you’d think. Maybe a lighter orange, like the early 2000s McLaren testing colours would work.
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
24th February 2011, 8:11
But it did help Spyker find their cars when their drivers inevitably beached them.
bosyber
24th February 2011, 8:44
I still have a trauma from Albers invariably moaning on Dutch television when he finished early/much worse than his “hopeful” view before the race – much worse than Verstappen, who also complained a lot, but at least could also show something for it in the right circumstances.
Claudio Sampaio
24th February 2011, 1:31
I’m looking forward to see this… as all of you, really expecting something different… \o/
electrolite (@electrolite)
24th February 2011, 1:36
I’m expecting white and dark red, like their current rear wing. It appears to be a pretty big sponsor for them so we’ll have to wait and see.
Burnout
24th February 2011, 4:47
I’ll be happy as long as the car doesn’t end up looking like it did in ’98 with the Winfield colours.
Mike
24th February 2011, 9:06
Seconded, That was horrible.
Icthyes (@icthyes)
24th February 2011, 7:16
If it’s like the Rothmans livery of 1997, I’m all squee* for it.
*A girlish expression of joy
Could you ever imagine Bernie doing this for Spa, or Silverstone?
Icthyes (@icthyes)
24th February 2011, 7:29
Actually, 1996.
Skett (@skett)
24th February 2011, 9:50
No I can’t, but I’d imagine that if there were issues like Bahrain in Britain; Bernie and most of the teams would have more to worry about than claiming on fees!
sw6569 (@sw6569)
24th February 2011, 8:10
I’m more excited about the Williams reveal than I have been about any of the cars! I see everything with rose tinted glasses.
oh and my first comment of the day! :)
ajokay (@)
24th February 2011, 9:48
Congratulations Sam! You’re now a member of the club, I don’t think there are any benefits though.
Maybe we should make some ‘I got COTD on F1Fanatic and all I got was this lousy T-Shirt’ t-shirts?
BasCB (@bascb)
24th February 2011, 9:55
Why not a “I got COTD on F1Fanatic and I got this lousy T-shirt. What to say?”
gabal (@gabal)
24th February 2011, 8:21
Qatar National Bank has the same colors as the driver overalls have (dark blue and burgundy) so there is a speculation the team could unveil new sponsor too.
BasCB (@bascb)
24th February 2011, 9:14
Now that sounds good!
Ben (@x-f1-x)
24th February 2011, 8:32
i would love to see Williams have an interesting livery this year. but i agree with Grace. It will be boring as usual.
cookie
24th February 2011, 8:44
Car will be rothmans look o like,not many sponsors thou
bosyber
24th February 2011, 8:48
Interesting that teams sponsor agreements would have not-appeared-at-race clauses that kick in with this: they can’t turn up, so not their failure, as there is no race; moreover, they didn’t decide to not have the race; I would have thought a circumstance like this would have been an exception in such a clause.
AndrewTanner (@andrewtanner)
24th February 2011, 8:48
I’ll be tuning in for the launch.
Meander
24th February 2011, 9:15
A late 80s Boutsen/Patrese livery would be sick! :) But I don’t expect it though.
BBT
24th February 2011, 9:36
Hope there is more blue than white.
Tom
24th February 2011, 9:52
The Canon/Camel/Labatts livery was a strange mix of colours but actually worked really well and is still memorable 20 years on.
Rothmans was quite ‘corporate’, Winfield was pretty awful.
How about something that includes the AT&T turquoisy-blue?
Calum
24th February 2011, 11:19
I bet the Mansell championship winning year colours are only obsessed about because of a long and sustained succesful time for Williams and their British driver, but who cares – it’s a cool paintjob!
nemo
24th February 2011, 10:48
well with AT&T being the main sponsor im guessing its going to be basically blue and white again.. yawn
though it could be interesting if they go for the lighter blue used in the AT&T logo.. here’s hoping :)
nemo
24th February 2011, 10:50
The FW27 (2005) was the last good lookin’ williams for me :\
sam
24th February 2011, 11:05
rothmans livery is back
SparkyJ23 (@sparkyj23)
24th February 2011, 11:09
Lovng the informative talk about the car
rabbit (@rabbit)
24th February 2011, 11:11
I was hoping to see more yellow : (
nemo
24th February 2011, 11:11
“the williams has a tight rear end” haha
nemo
24th February 2011, 11:13
it does have a ‘rothmans’ looks about it..
Calum
24th February 2011, 11:16
Can a historic livery win you an F1 title?
Lotus-Renault and Williams will be hoping so with their 1970s ‘JPS’ and 1990s ‘Rothmans’ title winning paint jobs!
rabbit (@rabbit)
24th February 2011, 11:22
This is a livery launch and I haven’t even had a proper look at the livery yet. Instead i’m listen to a chef . Bad presentation .
rabbit (@rabbit)
24th February 2011, 11:25
Over in less than 20 mims : o
Nathan Bradley
24th February 2011, 11:36
Hi, very off topic but bear with me.
Does anybody know of a book/magazine/website that has big, high res photos of all 32 WDC’s?
I’m decorating my bedroom at the moment, and my idea is to create a big collage-type thing of all 32 champions as a ‘Wall of Champions’
So if there’s a book/magazine, my idea is to cut the pictures out (awful, I know) and if there’s a website, I’ll just print them out.
Any help much appreciated
Nathan
Hayden
24th February 2011, 12:39
Try this website. http://www.formula1.com/teams_and_drivers/hall_of_fame/ The photos are small, but you should be able to enlarge them.
Hope this helps!