When you think about it, it makes sense for Carlos Size Jr. to call his first lap “smooth” on the Williams FW47.
Williams launched the team's challenger for the 2025 Formula 1 season, FW47, on the grounds of the UK's Grand Prix, a special event held at Silverstone on Friday. The team will unveil the FW47 in a bespoke, one-off colouring that the team will use at the UK Grand Prix this season, and will debut the main look next week at the first season release event for F1 at O2 in London.
Following the announcement, both Sainz and teammate Alexander Albon placed the FW47 through the Shakedown session, with Sainz driving in the morning and Albon in the afternoon. While Silverstone's February doesn't offer ideal testing conditions, Williams and Albon reported that the sun peered into the clouds after lunch in the cockpit.
Williams team principal James Bowles praised the “progress” that the team made this offseason and Williams' “terrifying” driver lineup.
“The first run of the FW47 is the result of tens of thousands of hours of work and an immeasurable moment of pride that represents progress at Atlassian Williams Racing,” said Vowles of the team's media report. “We deployed the car on live TV live with a formidable new driver lineup and Atlassian's fantastic new title partner. There's something to look forward to in 2025, but we'll be on the race next month. I can't wait for that.”
Chief engineer Dave Robson provided some technical feedback, noting that the FW47 and its system “worked as intended” and that the team was able to complete the planning program without any issues. did.
“Today we had the opportunity to launch the FW47 on Silverstone, shake down a new car and make sure the system is working as intended.
“Carlos and Alex shared driving all day and managed to complete the 200km allowed between them without any problems. The car ran well and some to make sure everything was working properly. I completed the careful lap of the car so I could push hard on it to make sure there were no major issues,” Robson continued. “Inevitably, we discovered some very small issues, but these were resolved quickly before we arrived in Bahrain and did not affect our running today.
“In cold conditions, it is impossible to assess the performance of the FW47 with Pirelli promotional tires, but telemetry and driver feedback is the fact that the basic characteristics of the car are very close to expectations and are not immediately available. It suggests that. Concerns.
Robson believes in Friday's session Williams will be on the path to arrive in Melbourne for the Australian Grand Prix, which opens the season on his front paw.
“We have a few days to use the experience from today. [finalize] Bahrain's test plan,” added Robson. “I'm sure the car will run well, so I'm sure I'm ready to make the most of my time in Bahrain and arrive in Melbourne and start the 2025 season strongly.”
Both drivers were overwhelmingly positive in post-session reports.
“I'm so happy,” Albon said. “The weather usually makes the car feel good and I did that today. I don't know what the car is like to Bahrain, but the car is reliable and we held a great show for our partners and fans. So I hope everyone enjoyed it. Roll Bahrain!”
The signs that he joined the team after his departure from Ferrari were then brought to life by Lewis Hamilton's incredible decision to leave Mercedes and join Scuderia for the 2025 campaign. Signs that earned the nicknameSmooth operator“In his time in sports, he said this about the FW47's first rap.
“The first 100km of the FW47 was completed and it was a smooth day. We were able to complete all the rampplans without any issues and I was my first for the car I got the right feeling,” Size said. “To show our partners, media and fans the first lap of this new car was a bold statement from Williams. A good job for everyone back in the glove – now we're ready to start the season It's there.”
