AT&T Williams Toyota:
Last Season’s Position: 8th

Drivers:



16. Nico Rosberg (GER)

Debut: Bahrain 2006
Starts: 18
Wins: 0
Points: 4
Poles: 0



17. Alexander Wurz (AUT)

Debut: Canada 1997
Starts: 52
Wins: 0
Points: 32
Poles: 0

Dcoulthard19 says:
Williams had one of the worse years in their history last year, can they turn it around in 2007?
Paul_Murtagh says:
Yeah I feel they can have a far stronger season this year. Last year was an embarrassment for the team. It promised so much at the beginning with the V8 Cosworth engine and the GP2 champions Nico Rosberg in the car but it all went pear-shaped and they couldn't wait for it to end. I think the Toyota engine will make a big difference this year and could bring the team forward
Dcoulthard19 says:
If Toyota are fair with the engine than that’s ok although to be honest I can't believe that Toyota are giving their engine to a team which they could have to compete with for places in the championship
Paul_Murtagh says:
I think it is possible. Williams have a rich history in the sport and I believe have the hungrier line-up of the two in terms of wanting to achieve success. I don't think Toyota will sabotage the Williams engine as that will reflect badly on the Japanese team, but I do feel Williams can out-perform Toyota on a lot of occasions this year
Dcoulthard19 says:
So are you suggesting that Williams could be close to the top 4 at times?
Paul_Murtagh says:
Possibly in terms of qualifying places on the grid and results but not on pace. I still feel that Williams will be a good distance behind the top teams in terms of the car’s pace but they should be closer to the midfield teams like BMW Sauber, Red Bull and of course Toyota than they were last season
Dcoulthard19 says:
Williams I feel will be another potential surprise package, with their new sponsors along with better finances and a few new members of staff I think the car will be a fair bit faster, and of course we have just discussed the engine, so this suggests that they could in fact have a decent season but after having such poor reliability last season could this still ruin their chances of success this year.
Paul_Murtagh says:
I feared they could go the way of Lotus mid-way through last season, but the new engine deal shows that they are determined not to go down that route. What about Alexander Wurz? Is he the right choice?
Dcoulthard19 says:
He is a very experienced driver, knows the car well and has been a brilliant tester over the last few years, I thought he was a driver with potential when he started at Benetton, went off the boil a bit in 99 but I have always been surprised that he wasn't given another chance by someone so this all this in consideration it is possible that Williams have pulled a masterstroke here.
Paul_Murtagh says:
Yeah I agree with you there. I think the atmosphere at Benetton at the time wasn't pleasant with constant management changes and an under-powered Playlife engine. But he showed great ability as McLaren's tester and continued this with Williams. And at Imola in 2005 when he stood in for Juan Pablo Montoya he showed he is still a strong race driver as well
Dcoulthard19 says:
I think after 2 or 3 races I think he will get used to racing a car again and will be quick, the Williams team so seem to like him and if Patrick Head likes you then have a good chance of being given alot of support by the team.
Paul_Murtagh says:
Yeah the team seem to be fully behind him which is very important and he should flourish. I think his experience will help Rosberg become a better driver as well. What about Nico? He had a good start to the season last year but as the team went off the boil he seemed to do the same. Can he recover?
Dcoulthard19 says:
He seems like a mature young man who can take the rough with the smooth, he made a lot of errors but I thought he showed promise as well and he will know what he needs to do to improve and like Wurz he has the support. However I do think a good start is important for him and with a better car then I think he will be able to do a lot more, and I am sure his can be a huge benefit to him.
Paul_Murtagh says:
Nico has undoubted talent as he showed in GP2. He should have a better season than last year and I feel he could score his first F1 podium at some point this season.
Dcoulthard19 says:
I think he definitely could, he was a bit unfortunate not to get a few more points finishes last year, he just has to believe in himself and not try too hard, he has to treat his car like a woman and not thrash it about too much. I am sure we will see more of Nico at his best, we hear names like Hamilton, Heikki but Rosberg is someone who I feel can perform.
Paul_Murtagh says:
He beat Heikki to the 2005 GP2 crown which shows just how good he is. If Williams can give him a reliable car then Nico seems likes the type of driver who can get it to the finish no matter what. I think he could be one of the surprises of the season
Dcoulthard19 says:
Definitely so, we need him to do well to attract more young female fans, he is a great role model for young people so it would be nice to see him at the front
Paul_Murtagh says:
So what's the final verdict on Williams? Can they begin the long road back to their glory days or will they never become more than a midfield team?
Dcoulthard19 says:
I don't think they are going into extinction, I think people are too quick to presume that Williams are doomed, next season I expect them to fight back and to do it well, they have improved facilities, they are attracting the sponsors again and the team seems in reasonable good health to me.
Paul_Murtagh says:
Yeah I feel the future for the team looks better than it did 12 months ago. It could take a while before they can begin winnings races and challenging for the championship again, but there is definitely the potential there
Dcoulthard19 says:
There are still loads of good people at Williams with a lot of experience and who have won championships, I am sure they have a burning desire to get Williams back to the front. What do you think of Sam Michael, is he the man to lead the technical team to better days.
Paul_Murtagh says:
I think he has potential but he has yet to realise it. He showed promise at Jordan before joining Williams and done an excellent job in his early days with the Grove team. But he had some big shoes to fill when he replaced Patrick Head and this year will show whether he is up to the task
Dcoulthard19 says:
What area do you think the team lacks in compared to their championship winning years?
Paul_Murtagh says:
I don't think we can put our finger on one specific area. Back when they were winning titles they had a great technical team whom most of it still remain at Williams. But they also had great drivers such as Mansell, Prost, Hill, Senna and Villeneuve and also Adrian Newey designing their cars and a close relationship with Renault. It was always going to be hard to recreate that
Dcoulthard19 says:
It hasn't quite happened for Williams lately has it but I still remain confident, Williams are an important in F1, who could imagine a grid without Williams and a paddock without Frank in it, a great group of people. What are your final thoughts?
Paul_Murtagh says:
I feel Williams can improve on last year's performances. Their car should be better and there should be better performances. But due to the improvements of the other teams and the fact it's the first season with a Toyota engine Williams may struggle to improve on last season's constructor standings

Ratings (out of 10):

Drivers - 6
Aerodynamics - 6
Engine - 7
Reliability - 6
Mechanical grip - 6
Tactics - 7
Pit crew - 7
Overall – 6

Why do you think that toyota will be alot better than Cosworth, Paul? as the cosworth is more powerful, so i take it you mean at drawing in new sponsors and revenue. Just curious :D

You forgot look on this one Paul_Murtagh.

The pipes on the Williams are pure bad ass! <clap>

What happened to the idea of the Toyota engines being badged Lexus?

That's what I meant sorry I should have made it more clearer.

I'm surprised at how popular these previews have been. Thanks for the feedback everyone!

Its always interesting to here others views <cool>

Over all they have been really good, and had good debated going off of them. <clap>