F109 Countdown: Williams

Williams Fact File:
2008 Results
Best Finish: 2nd (Nico Rosberg at the Singapore Grand Prix)
Points Scored: 26
Championship Position: 8th
2009 Drivers: Nico Rosberg & Kazuki Nakajima

Depending on how you look at the 2009 campaign for Williams, it can be classed a hit and miss year for the independent team. Compared to their ’08 season, they picked up an additional podium and finished five points shy of the previous year’s total. Yet, they find themselves eight the constructor’s championship, down from fourth.

The year was a perfect example of every team around them making a leap in one direction, while Williams only took a step.

Pre-season buzz was massive for the team last year and after Rosberg’s podium, people thought more of the same and even a win was on the cards. From there, the season fell away despite another podium for Rosberg in the action packed Singapore Grand Prix.

The car plainly wasn’t quick. That is evident from the fact that both drivers had two retirements each last year. It wasn’t a case like others, such as Red Bull, where positions were lost due to mechanical issues.

It was an easy decision for them to give up early and start work on this year’s car. But is it enough? According to reports after the cost cutting, it was claimed that Williams may not have survived without the cuts. The basis is still there for a good team. Even with manufacturer support, they outclassed Toyota in 2008, which they had an engine deal with.

Even with the cuts, the future is no less clear for the team. Major sponsor RBS will be pulling the plug as the banks exit Formula One. Fortunately for the team, they will honour the contract until the end of next year, giving them find to a replacement.

Like Force India, no doubt the team will be looking for those early races to set the marker down and capitalise on the mistakes of others. It will be interesting to see how well the team has adapted to the new regulations and whether a sustained season long competitively is possible for Williams.

Like many teams, they retain both drivers. Unless there is a change in fortune, I’d expect this to be Rosberg’s last with the team. I have to give credit to him sticking it out this year to learn his trade. He has shown a lot of loyalty to the team, whereas as lesser person might have jumped ship at the first opportunity. I only hope that he hasn’t missed the boat as they say and we don’t get to see what he has learned. I still rate Rosberg as a massive talent for the future.

Team-mate Nakajima has gone a long way to shaking off that ‘pay-driver’ tag that he was given on his arrival. Granted, he holds the tags for a different reason compared to the likes of Pedro Diniz or Tarso Marques did. Nakajima didn’t bring sponsorship, just lowered the engine bill.

Similar to fellow countryman, Takuma Sato, Nakajima showed some great pace with some silly errors through his first full season. Unlike Sato, it looked like Nakajima learned from it. By the end of the season, I felt like he earned his place in Formula One. He was deserving of a second year, even if it was already a certainty given his Toyota connections. He scored just short of half of the total that Rosberg did. By all accounts, not a bad first season for the Japanese.