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[McLaren Fan]

Well it is certain that Williams need more support, but not ,necessarily, a car manufacturer. They need a large sponsor and a good engine supplier, but they have the expertise to do the rest themselves, if they have the finance to do it.
There are still 4 places on the grid unfilled for next year, Williams, Torro Rosso, Force India and even Honda & Toyota may be vulnerable in the next few years. Bernie has to refill the grid, and to get more privateers, like Williams.
I think that Bernie needs to create a playing field that gives well sponsored privateers a good way in, or to maintain their position. That's the way forward, I don't think that many more car manufacturers are likely to be queuing up to join F1, but, with sponsors like Red Bull privateers can do well.

Hmm, well that's where budget caps would have to come in. Certainly in the current Formula One climate, no matter how big your sponsor is, they're not going to be able to offer a team the cash required to mount a series title challenge. Although the team may start the season well, they will whither away as it goes on. Red Bull own Red Bull Racing; they are not sponsors, and are pumping massive amounts of money into their main team (if they sponsored a team I expect they would contribute much less money). I think that you are right to say that Williams don't necessarily need a big car manufacturer to invest in them, but they need a big company to invest in them. As I said before, Patrick Head and Frank Williams won't go on forever; the team will have to be sold sometime in the future. They may as well seek some investment now in order to secure the team's longer-term future and enable it to get back to winning ways before too. At the minute Williams are fading fast.

[Martin]

Well it is certain that Williams need more support, but not ,necessarily, a car manufacturer. They need a large sponsor and a good engine supplier, but they have the expertise to do the rest themselves, if they have the finance to do it.
There are still 4 places on the grid unfilled for next year, Williams, Torro Rosso, Force India and even Honda & Toyota may be vulnerable in the next few years. Bernie has to refill the grid, and to get more privateers, like Williams.
I think that Bernie needs to create a playing field that gives well sponsored privateers a good way in, or to maintain their position. That's the way forward, I don't think that many more car manufacturers are likely to be queuing up to join F1, but, with sponsors like Red Bull privateers can do well.

Hmm, well that's where budget caps would have to come in. Certainly in the current Formula One climate, no matter how big your sponsor is, they're not going to be able to offer a team the cash required to mount a series title challenge. Although the team may start the season well, they will whither away as it goes on. Red Bull own Red Bull Racing; they are not sponsors, and are pumping massive amounts of money into their main team (if they sponsored a team I expect they would contribute much less money). I think that you are right to say that Williams don't necessarily need a big car manufacturer to invest in them, but they need a big company to invest in them. As I said before, Patrick Head and Frank Williams won't go on forever; the team will have to be sold sometime in the future. They may as well seek some investment now in order to secure the team's longer-term future and enable it to get back to winning ways before too. At the minute Williams are fading fast.

Yes that is right MF, any new comer must allow a few years for results anyway,but a privateer from a different format (GP2 say) should get there quicker. Yes I know that TR own the company but my point is that it is a non motoring company, and, OK it bought out existing teams, but there are only 2 team sleft (Williams & T.R.) that could be bought by any new team (manufacturer or not).
RB are massive sponsors of all kinds of sports (even BMX stunt riding) and I think that many of these sports are self funding, if not profitable.
F1 is not all spending, there are various income streams for most teams. I would actually be interested to know what sort of income a middle rank team does earn. Anyone know?
As mentioned on previous threads there are many worldwide companies that are large enough to sponsor a team, - banks, oil companies, all kinds of retail brands.
As you say, Patrick & Frank are bound to sell up in the not too distant future. I just hope that it is to a serious racing team. Williams epitomises the real spirit of motor racing.
Bernie has to do something very soon, or the grid will get more and more depleted, or, worse, will be occupied by short term chancers or owners whose real interest is outside f1.

[f1maniac95]

I think they should try and get a manafacturor to back them I agree that Audi would help them a lot and hopefully we'll see them at the front.

[al4x]

If we're ever going to see budget caps Mosley should get on with it and put down the whip.

budget cap! please, it would make it so much better! reward ingenuity

[something renault are good at]

[7UpJordan]

If we're ever going to see budget caps Mosley should get on with it and put down the whip.

budget cap! please, it would make it so much better! reward ingenuity

[something renault are good at]

Williams are one of the teams really focussing on the KERS device. If they can get that working well next season they will be once again a team to look up to. They even acquired a local company that specialises in the KERS principle to help them develop it further.

[texasmr2]

Short and sweet: I hope they will be someday.

[darwin dali]

As I said before, Patrick Head and Frank Williams won't go on forever; the team will have to be sold sometime in the future. They may as well seek some investment now in order to secure the team's longer-term future and enable it to get back to winning ways before too. At the minute Williams are fading fast.

FW's daughter works for the team - they interviewed her on Speed TV the other day - so maybe she'll continue her daddy's legacy. Wouldn't that be exciting? A woman owning an F1 team?

[McLaren Fan]

As I said before, Patrick Head and Frank Williams won't go on forever; the team will have to be sold sometime in the future. They may as well seek some investment now in order to secure the team's longer-term future and enable it to get back to winning ways before too. At the minute Williams are fading fast.

FW's daughter works for the team - they interviewed her on Speed TV the other day - so maybe she'll continue her daddy's legacy. Wouldn't that be exciting? A woman owning an F1 team?

I didn't realise that. In that case, I guess Williams will be holding out for significant budget caps and trying to get a decent engine supplier on board. Success generally breeds success, so if they do improve as a result of budget caps, a sponsor that is prepared to pump a lot of money into the team won't be long coming, and then they'll have a little more money to develop their cars. I really hope things work out for them, but it's certainly going to be a long process.

[Rivelution]

As I said before, Patrick Head and Frank Williams won't go on forever; the team will have to be sold sometime in the future. They may as well seek some investment now in order to secure the team's longer-term future and enable it to get back to winning ways before too. At the minute Williams are fading fast.

FW's daughter works for the team - they interviewed her on Speed TV the other day - so maybe she'll continue her daddy's legacy. Wouldn't that be exciting? A woman owning an F1 team?

She was hot



Hey DD how funny was it when they showed David Hobbs' commercial from like the 70's?

[darwin dali]

As I said before, Patrick Head and Frank Williams won't go on forever; the team will have to be sold sometime in the future. They may as well seek some investment now in order to secure the team's longer-term future and enable it to get back to winning ways before too. At the minute Williams are fading fast.

FW's daughter works for the team - they interviewed her on Speed TV the other day - so maybe she'll continue her daddy's legacy. Wouldn't that be exciting? A woman owning an F1 team?

She was hot



Hey DD how funny was it when they showed David Hobbs' commercial from like the 70's?

Geez, that was beyond cheesy And then the comments by BV and SM, something like he's still got the same plaid in his closet.

[7UpJordan]

Williams have a succession plan in place for the day Sir Frank decides to call it quits. He's got a son as well who might well succeed him.

[darwin dali]

Williams have a succession plan in place for the day Sir Frank decides to call it quits. He's got a son as well who might well succeed him.

Today:
Williams is quoted as saying by sportnet: "In the next few years we will not sell."

Recent speculation hints at a burgeoning relationship with the Icelandic investment group Baugur, but Frank Williams insists: "We would sell no more than shares, the name Williams is staying in Formula One."

But veteran Williams, who is 66, acknowledges that he and the team's co-owner and engineering chief Patrick Head are "not getting younger."

However, he rules out suggestions that his son Jonathan, involved with a GP2 team but also with an office at Williams in Grove, will succeed him.

Jonathan is "too nice for Formula One." Frank Williams said.

[McLaren Fan]

Williams have a succession plan in place for the day Sir Frank decides to call it quits. He's got a son as well who might well succeed him.

Today:
Williams is quoted as saying by sportnet: "In the next few years we will not sell."

Recent speculation hints at a burgeoning relationship with the Icelandic investment group Baugur, but Frank Williams insists: "We would sell no more than shares, the name Williams is staying in Formula One."

But veteran Williams, who is 66, acknowledges that he and the team's co-owner and engineering chief Patrick Head are "not getting younger."

However, he rules out suggestions that his son Jonathan, involved with a GP2 team but also with an office at Williams in Grove, will succeed him.

Jonathan is "too nice for Formula One." Frank Williams said.

Selling some shares in the team would not hurt. If the team was to be sold in the future, could there not be something put into the contract that says the Williams name must always remain in some form? For example, either the team is called just Williams no matter who buys it or, say for the sake of argument Toyota bought the team, the team would have to be called Williams-Toyota. The Williams name is too iconic to lose.

[Martin]

Maybe there is a plan:-

Being CEO of a Formula One team run by racing icons such as Frank Williams and Patrick Head might not look like the easiest job in the world, but Cambridge-educated Adam Parr, who joined Williams in 2006, has proved more than a match for the task. With a background in law, banking and mining, Formula One racing was never really part of Parr’s career plan, but after two years in the fast lane he wouldn’t change it for anything - and the chances are now good that he - and his senior management colleagues - will evolve as the future of the Williams team…

Full story here - http://www.formula1.com/

[7UpJordan]

Well it looks like whatever problems Williams encountered they are finally getting on top of.

Nico Rosberg believes his Williams team are on the verge of solving the problems that have marred their recent performances.
Although Williams started the year strongly, with Rosberg taking a podium finish in the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, the team have endured a more difficult middle part to the season where they have struggled to score points.

Work at the factory, however, has unlocked some explanation for their issues and new parts tried out in Hungary last weekend suggest that they are now heading in the right direction to get on top of their issues.

"We've got the bottom of one of the problems, yes," said Rosberg. "We have an explanation for it, especially when you consider that in the winter we were level with Red Bull and Toyota, and it's just gone down.

"But we know where one of the main areas is and actually I have learned something in Hungary, which was just a small step in another direction, to give us an idea if it's the right thing. I ran it in qualifying and it's quite positive."

Although optimistic about Williams' chances of recovering from their mid-season troubles, Rosberg still thinks it will take a few weeks for further progress to be made. Matters are also not helped by the summer testing ban.

"The problem is in F1 it takes time," said the German. "You have to design it, then you have to produce it, test it, put it on the car. We won't see it in the immediate future - it's going to take a few weeks."

If they can get these new parts working it would be nice to finish the season on a high and spoil Toyota/Red Bull/Renault's party. If only the FW30's development hadn't been hampered by the FW31 they could have fixed the problem sooner.