AUGUST 15, 2005

An interim year for Williams

The long-awaited announcement that Williams will use Cosworth engines in 2006 is no surprise, just as an announcement that the team will run Toyota engines in 2007 and beyond will surprise no-one in F1 circles. The Cosworth deal is a necessary step because Toyota was not ready to supply two top teams in 2006.

The new Cosworth V8 will be a very competitive engine, as the company has been running its engine since April and is very confident that it will be competitive unit until the opposition's financial clout kicks in.

Williams has been quick to praise Cosworth's history with V8s and hope that the engines will give it a surprise advantage next year.

Much is being made of the British-ness of the two companies and one can see that this, allied to the signing of Jenson Button, will make a powerful pitch to British companies. Williams is understood to have targeted a number of big British firms to join the programme. This will also help to explain why it is that Williams is so reluctant to let Button walk out of his Williams contract.

"Williams has made this partnership decision purely on technical merit," said Patrick head. "Among the range of options we considered, Cosworth are very well advanced with existing development and are committed to taking the potential of this collaboration further. Our engineers have already reflected on the very productive and highly motivated nature of the relationship between our two organisations. We speak the same racing language and both have something to prove next year and there can be no greater motivation to succeed."

The Williams-Cosworth FW28 will be the first chassis to benefit from 100% application of Williams' two wind tunnels.