Williams to be powered by Mercedes engines

With the revised engine formula for the 2014 season, the teams are trying to bag out the best available supply deals.

One such move is that of the Williams F1 which has shook hands with Mercedes for the engine supply for 2014 season and beyond. Williams will continue to generate their own transmission, whereas Mercedes will supply the Energy Recovery System for the power units as part of their deal.

“I’m delighted to announce our new association with Mercedes-Benz for the 2014 Formula 1 season and beyond,” said team principal Frank Williams.

“Mercedes-Benz has been one of the sport’s most successful engine suppliers and we believe that they will have an extremely competitive engine package.

“I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Renault for their continued hard work since we renewed our engine partnership at the beginning of the 2012 season.

“We have enjoyed a strong relationship that has resulted in much success over the years, including powering us to winning ways once again last year at the Spanish Grand Prix.”

Deputy team principal Claire Williams is also happy with the proceedings and believes the deal will yield fruitful results in future.

“The announcement of this partnership is exciting news for Williams,” she said.

“Securing the right engine supply partnership is a key milestone in the implementation of our strategy for long-term success.

“We are also pleased to conclude this agreement early in the season and we very much look forward to working with Mercedes in developing our 2014 race car.”

With Red Bull’s sister team Scuderia Torro Rosso to switch from Ferrari, Renault has only confirmed two deals for the 2014 season and an official announcement is pending regarding the supply to Caterham.

Renault president Carlos Ghosn confirmed in Monaco that three partner teams would be the minimum for the next season and more deals could be expected, with Team Lotus in talks with it.

“We need three teams, this is the minimum,” said Ghosn.

“We would not be surprised that a third one will come soon and we may have more, but we don’t need more.

“We may have four, we may have up to five teams but this is more a question of opportunity than necessity.”

Williams had worked with different engines over the past decade and the results were not up to the expected levels.

The Williams BMW partnership from 2000-2005 saw a high point in the 2003 season with a 3rd place in drivers championship and second place in constructor championship. The partnership came to an end when BMW became ambitious about the team ownership which didnt go well with Williams , leading it to buy Sauber.

With the introduction of 2.4l V8 engines, Williams switched to Cosworth engines and ended up with disappointing results with the team earning only 11 points and pushed to eighth place in the constructor’s championship.

Williams opted for Toyota engines for the 2007 season and it paid dividends as it finished at fourth position in the constructor’s championship. The next two seasons were fruitless for the Williams, forcing them to find a new engine supplier for the 2010 season.

Williams again entered into a contract with Cosworth for engine supply and it lasted only for 2 years with Nico Hulkenburg’s pole position at Interlagos in 2010 as their only high point.

In 2012, Williams signed a contract with Renault and it helped in ending the team’s win drought at the Spanish GP last year. But they are yet to trouble the scorers in this season.

SOURCE: uk.eurosport.yahoo.com