Formula 1’s midfield battle had a peculiar look to it in 2025. Unless teams were fighting for bigger prizes at the front of the field, the well-documented regulation changes for 2026 soon made the season something of a lame duck project for most aero departments. Given the current budget cap and the prevailing aerodynamic testing restrictions, 2025 was something to be sacrificed on the altar of 2026 while freeing up resources for the new car, which teams were able to start developing in their wind tunnels from January onwards.
Following comments from Williams boss James Vowles that the team was happy to write off 2025 to make a bigger head start on 2026, it was somewhat surprising to see the Grove-based squad emerge as the midfield’s leading force with its FW47. Vowles’s behind-the-scenes overhaul, backed by US-based owner Dorilton, started to yield results even if in-season aero development was kept to a minimum. Unlike its predecessor, the 2025 car was delivered on time and on the weight limit, and the team also placed a big emphasis on a more robust simulation process and intra-department communication as some of the low-hanging fruit that was there for the taking.
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– The Autosport.com Team