While it is obvious that the changes to the Williams car will have an effect on airflow , there is also a considerable amount of work that has been carried out under the bodywork to adapt it. Decisions about Grove’s car are heavily influenced by both Ferrari and Red Bull, and the sidepods have been completely reworked to achieve a mix of both championship leaders.
While the original concept of the sidepods tends more towards the RB18, some teams on the grid have gone more towards the drop-in ramp option with an entrance, undercut and side shape very similar to that of the Ferrari F1-75. , with a wide but shallow design to supply cool air to the radiators inside.
These elements, along with the coolers, electronics and other auxiliary elements, have also had to be modified or repositioned, not only to be able to adjust the bodywork, but also to be able to change the lines of the engine cover.
Williams FW44 rear detail
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
Williams FW44 engine detail
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
Beneath that area, where there used to be a couple of coolers on the power unit, there is now only one, which occupies the entire position, something that characterizes the Red Bull, McLaren and AlphaTauri single-seater.
If we take a look at the sidepod and engine cover design before they are installed on the cars, the differences between the two configurations are quite clear. The new one, on the left, features much wider and longer side bodywork, while the hood is slimmer behind the airbox, as necessary changes have been made to the size and position of internal components.
Williams FW44 Sidepod Comparison
Notably, the floor has also been redesigned, as the FW44 now sports a very different layout on the wishbones and the leading edge of the underfloor tunnels. On the other hand, the triangular-shaped wing on the bottom edge has been removed to move the floor arch forward and change its geometry.
The limitation of spare parts and the possibility of using the Silverstone circuit as a basis for extensive data collection in a uniform way, will see Nicholas Latifi carrying the old specification of the FW44 (the bodywork on the right in the images).
However, the Grove team is confident that the new parts fitted to Alexander Albon’s car will improve its performance considerably.