[Team] Williams: Do they have a spare tub?

[chillibowl]

yeah my bad on that. just read the team press release which didnt mention their past history in F1...as pointed out by chunterer and bjohnsonsmith - respect on the deep knowledge there gents!

nor did it mention any tie in with Latifi or Sofina.

Originally Posted by peebee2

I’ll say what I like about her thanks.

fair enough

[chunterer]

Originally Posted by davec

Any new sponsorship is good for the team even if it does come via the driver.

Lavazza is part of the Sofina foods group that is owned by Latifi Snr so not a major new deal from Claire.

Ah, I see. That puts a much less progressive slant on this news then.

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by peebee2

“Williams is pleased to accept $x0,000,000 from our new driver who isn’t great but has a licence and the money, and will want his stickers on the car” doesn’t sound so great does it?

I would have thought a driver bringing $x0,000,000, would be welcome by any team. Running an F1 team is an expensive business. Let's hope the stickers blend in with the car's livery.

[Richard C]

Originally Posted by peebee2

Not necessarily but OP claimed it as Claire finding a new team sponsor.

Which it isn’t.

Mr L will have guaranteed $x for y space on car for tax w/o...

I get the point, but IMHO, we are splitting hairs here. You can also say that Claire brought Latifi on-board, along with his sponsorship money.

She may be a terrible manager (or not) and responsible for their current situation (or not), and I am all for beating up Williams leadership over their sorry state. But I am also trying (sometimes not succeeding) in NOT kick them while they are down. I do think its a valid point that they lack money that is driven by the team alone. There is ROKiT, but the sponsor probably got that deal on the cheap.

Regarding press releases. While Williams could rightly so ignore the tie to Latifi, they do include it in the release. Granted it was a quote from the sponsor (who may have insisted on it's inclusion)! So if you read with a critical eye, you do see that Latifi brought the money even if Williams is putting a pretty face on the deal.

(Emphasis in the quote is mine)

Founded in Turin in 1895, Lavazza has been owned by the same family for four generations. It is among the leading coffee roasters in the world and has a sales presence in more than 140 countries. Lavazza's strategy of international growth has led to collaborations in the world of sport, and they have supported the motor racing career of Canada's Nicholas Latifi since 2016.

Richard

[djinvicta]

Damn good coffee it is too. If anyone thinks the "Williams Group" is short of money.. just look at the "Group" accounts...It's awash with good accounts and profits..and, no, I don't work for them..

[broadrun96]

Exactly, the F1 team may not have large sponsors but they have plenty of cash. Williams makes millions off of their other projects, how much they want to subsidize the race team is the question. And how much can they, didn't they float the company or a portion last year?

[wnut]

Originally Posted by broadrun96

Exactly, the F1 team may not have large sponsors but they have plenty of cash. Williams makes millions off of their other projects, how much they want to subsidize the race team is the question. And how much can they, didn't they float the company or a portion last year?

Looking at their Annual report:

https://www.williamsf1.com/pages/cor...annual-results

Their revenue is predominantly F1 sourced, and it is doubtful whether the Group would stand on its own without F1.

[wnut]

Williams are going to take a hit of $21.1M in this year's F1 revenue distribution too:

https://www.racefans.net/2019/03/03/...2019-revealed/

[billy bleach]

Originally Posted by wnut

Williams are going to take a hit of $21.1M in this year's F1 revenue distribution too:

https://www.racefans.net/2019/03/03/...2019-revealed/

Plus the loss of two significant sponsors

[peebee2]

Originally Posted by billy bleach

Plus the loss of two significant sponsors

No. Read above. They’re doing a great job to some!

[chillibowl]

i just think a lot of us have a lot of hope and optimism when it comes to Williams.

i dont think anyone is saying they are doing a great job but for sure sentimentality/nostalgia does cloud the judgement...for my part anyways.

[bjohnsonsmith]

Williams have lost Unilever as a sponsor to McLaren. in the form of Rexona.

https://classic.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/147849

[crmalcolm]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula-one/51120155

Roy Nissany: Williams name Israeli as Formula 1 test driver

[Peter Mallett]

I thought Jamie Chadwick was their test driver.

[Mike Harte]

Originally Posted by Peter Mallett

I thought Jamie Chadwick was their test driver.

I am pretty certain that, as with most of the teams in F1, money talks the only language that they really understand!

[crmalcolm]

Originally Posted by Peter Mallett

I thought Jamie Chadwick was their test driver.

No - she's their development driver, and part of their driver academy.

https://www.skysports.com/f1/news/12...lopment-driver

Confined to the Simulator, and not behind the wheel of the live car it seems.

'As a Development Driver, Jamie will be fully immersed into the team both trackside and in the factory at Grove. Alongside a busy simulator programme, she will also attend three European races, starting at the British Grand Prix, and support the team in a number of media and marketing activities.'

[Peter Mallett]

Thanks for clarifying.

[crmalcolm]

Originally Posted by Peter Mallett

Thanks for clarifying.

I think it does show how, despite what would normally be assumed, testing and development are seen as different (complementary) strands in F1 nowadays.

Now we need to know who their research driver is.......

[billy bleach]

Originally Posted by crmalcolm

No - she's their development driver, and part of their driver academy.

https://www.skysports.com/f1/news/12...lopment-driver

Confined to the Simulator, and not behind the wheel of the live car it seems.

'As a Development Driver, Jamie will be fully immersed into the team both trackside and in the factory at Grove. Alongside a busy simulator programme, she will also attend three European races, starting at the British Grand Prix, and support the team in a number of media and marketing activities.'

In F1 speak Development driver means - have some money, may have some PR value, got a Dad who may be a prospect, probably never going to sit in a car ( Leclerc being the exception)

Test driver means - Got shed loads of money, wants "F1 driver" on cv, got a Dad who is an EVEN better prospect, will probably get a filming day or a run up a lonely runway somewhere.

[steve nielsen]

Originally Posted by crmalcolm

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula-one/51120155

Roy Nissany: Williams name Israeli as Formula 1 test driver

I still remember his dad's FP1 in Hungary, complaining about having "too much grip" in his Minardi

[BertMk2]

Ok - so Williams now have Nissany as test driver, Chadwick and Ticktum as development drivers. Are they just going to sign everybody that doesn't currently have an F1 role?

I have a couple of quid in my pocket - I look forward to being announced as a Williams development driver in the next few days

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by BertMk2

Ok - so Williams now have Nissany as test driver, Chadwick and Ticktum as development drivers. Are they just going to sign everybody that doesn't currently have an F1 role?

I have a couple of quid in my pocket - I look forward to being announced as a Williams development driver in the next few days

Good luck. We will all be very proud of you, here at TenTenths.

[Richard C]

Originally Posted by BertMk2

I have a couple of quid in my pocket - I look forward to being announced as a Williams development driver in the next few days

Serious question. Theoretically, how many "test" drivers could a team sign up for a season (assuming used to generate money)

If you have 22 races, two cars per team. So that is 44 sessions at GP events (Friday practice). Then you have six days of pre-season testing. That is another 12. I am not sure if there will be post season testing in 2020? So a total session count of about 56. I also think I read somewhere that you are supposed to give new driver two sessions over the course of the season. So that would be a max of around 28 "test" drivers per team? Of course you may want to let your regular drivers do some of the driving!

Note, the Nissany article says he will have three practice sessions and one test session drive.

Richard

[chillibowl]

why not monetize your development program? rather would it be more acceptable if they called it a school - or in this case a driver's academy?

some may have talent, some may have more money then talent, some may just be PR moves, or even genuine attempts at promoting equality...but in the end its just a school that charges money for admission and training.

if post secondary/post graduate institutions are doing it why not Williams?

[Richard C]

Originally Posted by chillibowl

why not monetize your development program?

That's a good question. My guess is that in reality nobody would want to sacrifice (too much) the quality of their limited testing schedule by using drivers who are unfamiliar with the cars, so my fanciful 28 driver number above is not realistic at all.

I suspect there is some weird supply/demand at play as well. Short supply of testing slots in current F1 cars (due to regulations) and maybe a limited supply of drivers with the funding. With the the short supply of testing slots, that can drive the cost up to a point that it's worthwhile for teams to sell testing seats (teams such as Williams, because we need to keep this discussion about Williams or someone will complain! I digress)

If regulations were relaxed around testing, that would open the supply to available testing slots, but that could also drive the per slot costs down. Would it end up being a wash in the end from the teams perspective. I am not an economist!

Lastly, I can't remember, do you need a superlicense for testing?

Richard