Williams have finally revealed the team's official 2017 Formula 1 racing car. Dubbed simply as the FW40, the racing car is powered by an engine developed and constructed by Mercedes.
One of the most noticeable changes of the FW40 is its cosmetics and liveries. Prior to the official debut of the FW40, Williams have distributed a several digital snaps of the racing car. While almost identical, the official release have revealed the addition of a new shark fin which was not included in previous digital photos.
The FW40 - a new era of Formula One.#FW40 #Williams40 #WeAreRacing https://t.co/EXMi6FmZVq pic.twitter.com/M556VVsXDi
— WILLIAMS RACING (@WilliamsRacing) February 25, 2017
In a statement acquired by BBC, Williams said, "Although cosmetically the 2017 cars will look very different to their 2016 predecessors, the core of the car, the power unit and the areas situated around the power unit, have not changed a great deal."
The new Williams FW40 Formula 1 car is expected to be tested for the first time in a pre-season test in Spain. The test drive is scheduled on Feb. 27 and will feature Brazilian F1 superstar Felipe Massa who is once again. According to Auto Week, Massa was tempted out of retirement following the previous Williams driver Valtteri Bottas' decision to jump ship and drive for Mercedes and the surprise retirement of Nico Rosberg.
Along with Massa, Canadian driver Lance Stroll is also expected to drive for Mercedes this season. Stroll is expected to be the only rookie driver on the starting grid when the season starts on March 26 in Melbourne. The biggest challenge for Williams this season is to hold on to its fifth place, especially after slipping two places down in 2016.
With the latest reveal from Williams, only three teams have yet to take the covers off of their official Formula 1 cars. These teams are Red Bull, Hass, and Toro Rosso. All three teams are expected to debut their respective cars a day before the first official test of the year begins.
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