Next year will mark 40 years of racing in Formula 1 for the Williams F1 team. So the Grove-based outfit is skipping the FW39 and calling its 2017 car the FW40 to mark the occasion.
We know, such a big difference. But it’s pretty cool to think back to the cars that Williams have created since debuting in F1 back in 1977 at the Jarama track in Spain.
So with the 40th anniversary coming up, we thought it’d be a good idea to look back at the most beautiful cars the team has ever created.
FW14B
The FW14B from the 1992 is undoubtedly a fan-favourite, partly because Nigel Mansell drove it to his one and only F1 title and also because it was a stunning car with a super-classy livery too.
FW25
The Williams FW25 was raced by Ralf Schumacher and Juan Pablo Montoya in 2003. It was ridiculously quick, with V10 power, and looked pretty mean with its sharp nose and simple aero from back in those days.
FW28
The FW28 was a pretty sleek and sophisticated looking F1 beast, powered by a noisy Cosworth V8. It wasn’t particularly successful or reliable, but was a beautiful car with a smart livery.
FW37
Sure, the FW37 from 2015 had a weird little stub nose. But who cares? It featured one of the most iconic liveries in motorsport history – Martini’s white base colour with blue and red stripes. You can’t get much better than that.
FW08
The FW08 is one of the earlier Williams cars and took Keke Rosberg to the 1982 world title. It was an evolution of the previous car but looked pretty cool in white and green, with big, beefy tyres and a huge rear wing. Proper old school!
FW11
The FW11 was the second Williams to sport the famous Canon livery. Powered by a monstrous Honda V6 Turbo engine, it was an advanced car for its time and won both constructors’ titles in 1986 and 1987 (as well as the drivers’ championship in the former).
FW18
The FW18 is one of the team’s most famous cars after Damon Hill drove it to the 1996 title. Sporting the iconic Rothmans livery and beautifully sophisticated aero package, it was as quick as it was stunning.
FW22
Williams’ signature colours in the 2000s were white and blue, thanks to its BMW backing, and that all began with the sharp-looking FW22 in 2000. Ralf Schumacher and an infant Jenson Button drove their cars to third in the teams’ championship.
FW20
The FW20 was a bit of a weird one for Williams, with the car sporting a bright red livery due to its short stint with Winfield sponsorship. But still, the car design itself looked downright awesome and the colour scheme was pretty eye-catching too.
FW33
Despite the sweet, sweet PDVSA money from Pastor Maldonado, the FW33 was a hugely disappointing car for Williams. But because of this, it’s probably a bit underrated in the looks department, as the FW33 is a nicely elegant-looking car with a classy livery.