Uncovered: The huge Williams upgrade package unlocking big FW46 gains

Williams is looking better than ever this season, scoring an impressive 10 points with both drivers finishing in the top 10 – a feat we haven’t seen from the team in quite some time.

Their first major aerodynamic upgrade package was introduced two weekends ago in the Netherlands, and the improvements are already very noticeable in Azerbaijan. Let’s dive into how the upgraded FW46 has evolved and which key changes have made a real difference on the track.

The reawakening of Williams explained

By Saturday, it was clear that the positive changes were making an impact, with the FW46 looking sharp on the circuit. The last time Williams had both drivers in Q3 was at Las Vegas last year – a track bearing some similarities to the Azerbaijan circuit.

The first upgrade package in the Netherlands brought substantial changes to the car’s aerodynamics, focusing primarily on the floor. This was complemented by a new diffuser, sidepod inlets, sidepods, engine cover, and central air intake. Several components were also redesigned to reduce the car’s overall weight.

Weight reduction has been a significant challenge for Williams, with previous updates this season primarily focused on shedding those extra kilos. The last such update occurred in Canada, followed by a five-race gap before any new developments were brought to the car in the Netherlands.

Though it took time for Williams to introduce a major aerodynamic upgrade, the team seemed intent on ensuring everything would work as intended. And indeed, it did – even if the improvements weren’t immediately obvious in Zandvoort, they became much clearer the following weekend.

Williams join the Overbite Club

The most notable change to the bodywork is seen in the sidepod inlets, which now feature an overbite geometry, replacing the previous underbite design. With this, Williams has joined the ranks of teams adopting this concept, a direction Red Bull pioneered earlier this season.

The lip of the sidepod inlet plays a crucial role in controlling airflow, directing it towards the radiators inside the sidepods. Once the car reaches a certain speed, air can no longer fully fill the sidepod area, causing overflow. With the underbite design, this airflow would be directed over the top surface of the sidepods, where ‘waterslides’ would guide it to the rear of the car, minimising drag.

However, the overbite geometry aims to channel the excess air beneath the sidepods, into the undercut region, generating additional localised downforce. This boost in downforce particularly affects the front of the car’s floor.

The current generation of cars often struggles with front-end downforce, especially at lower speeds.

The overbite design helps alleviate this issue, improving stability. Of course, the floor plays the most crucial role here, and we can assume that it also has been redesigned to enhance front-end downforce. Unfortunately, the details of these changes are hidden from view, so it’s unclear exactly how Williams’ engineers have tweaked the aerodynamics of the FW46’s floor.

Changes to the car’s floor edges further suggest that the engineers are chasing downforce in these areas, too. So, it’s not just the front that’s benefiting from the upgrades. Usually, when a team introduces such radical changes, it takes some time to find the car’s optimal balance, or even make further aerodynamic adjustments to fully exploit the improvements. Williams showed in Monza that they are well on their way.

How the new aero package has transformed the FW46

Since the introduction of the new regulations in 2022, Williams has earned a reputation for excelling on straight-line speed, thanks to the car’s low drag setup. This advantage allowed them to score points on circuits that played to this strength.

In fact, Monza has been the only track where Williams has consistently scored points since 2022 – a circuit where top speed is critical.

However, this approach has often been the hallmark of teams struggling at the back of the grid, with limited financial backing compared to their rivals. But things are changing with this latest aerodynamic upgrade.

The car now boasts much greater stability and improved speed through slower corners – all while retaining its straight-line prowess. In qualifying, Williams’ times were strikingly similar to Mercedes’, which is a significant achievement considering the slow second sector in Baku. Colapinto even managed to be quicker than Hamilton in the first and second sectors in qualifying, with only a minimal deficit in the third.

On Sunday, Williams delivered what was arguably their best race pace of the 2024 season. They were certainly the best of the midfield teams. With a bit of luck from the late-race incident involving Perez and Sainz, they bagged a massive 10 points – more than they had earned in the entire season to date. Their last such performance came midway through the 2021 season.

The new upgrade has given the FW46 the ability to compete in a variety of conditions, not just on the straights. However, the real test for Williams will be in the upcoming races, where they’ll have the chance to confirm their return to form.

Last year, we saw a similar surge in performance during the final third of the season, when all the hard work at the factory began to pay off on the track. We could see a repeat of that scenario this year.

Since James Vowles took over as Team Principal, Williams has become a different outfit – slowly but surely evolving into a stronger team. Who knows, perhaps in the next few seasons, we’ll witness Williams fighting for race wins once again – something that’s certainly not unfamiliar to them in their grand history.

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