Williams will switch gears to Mercedes
FORMER Formula One champions Williams said yesterday that they will switch from Renault to Mercedes engines next year when a new V6 unit is introduced.
The announcement of a longterm partnership means the German manufacturer’s engines will power four of the 11 teams next season before McLaren enter a new partnership with Honda from 2015.
Mercedes also supplies its own works team, who won in Monaco last weekend with German driver Nico Rosberg, and British-based Force India.
Renault will have at least three teams next season, with Red Bull and Toro Rosso signed up and Caterham also committed to the French manufacturer.
It also currently supplies title contenders Lotus.
Formula One is ditching the current 2.4l V8 engine at the end of this season in one of the biggest shake-ups of the rules in decades. From next year, cars will be powered by a 1.6l V6 with turbochargers and energy recovery systems.
Williams said it would continue to manufacture its own transmission.
“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,” Williams team principal and founder Frank Williams said.
Mercedes motorsport head Toto Wolff is also a Williams shareholder — although he has said he will sell the stake — and his wife, Susie, is the team’s development driver.
“The proud heritage of Williams and the company’s commitment to technological excellence make it a perfect long-term partner for Mercedes-Benz under the new power-train regulations,” the Austrian said.
“It is a win-win situation for both HPP (Mercedes’ High Performance Power-trains) and Williams, which will ensure HPP is able to supply at least three teams on a long-term basis under the new regulations and could open interesting new perspectives for technology transfer.”
Mercedes will be Williams’ sixth change of engine partner in the space of a decade.
The new engine is expected to be more than double the current €9m cost of the V8, with media reports suggesting the Renault units will be more expensive than those made by Mercedes and Ferrari. Reuters