The 2024 Williams FW46 has not yet been seen but it has created a lot of discussion in regard to the process that saw the Williams team arrive at its design as well as the details of the design. There is still quite a lot of detail yet to be shown to the public beyond the 2024 livery that was shown at the team's season launch.

“The FW46 will be completely different to last year’s car,” revealed Logan Sargeant.

Alexander Albon added: “For the last four or five years, we have used a certain way to design the car. This year, there has been a big change. And I think that is also why we are talking about a very different car. Not only aesthetically but also to drive on the simulator."

Despite having a successful 2023 season securing 7th in the constructors championship the Williams team still had to contend with the handling uncertainties of the 2023 FW45 with the team spending a considerable amount of time trying to understand the issues with the car. During 2023 the team would bring one upgrade that attempted to resolve the issues with the FW45 but for James Vowles such was the design philosophy of the FW45 that trying to understand the issues of the car was a very complicated matter.

The Williams team has yet to announce aspects of the FW46 in particular its rear suspension. In the released technical specifications the rear suspension type was not listed, but it is believed that the car will use a push-rod suspension at the rear, as the team purchases the transmission and rear suspension from Mercedes so it is dictated by what is supplied by them.

James Vowles commented on this: "We don't want to reveal what we're doing at the rear yet. This is not only due to the fact that the transmission and rear axle are sourced from Mercedes and they do not want to pre-empt their technology partner." It should be noted that Red Bull uses the push-rod suspension layout.

Vowles commented further in respect of the issues they had with the FW45: “It’s not just a question of aerodynamics, it’s not just how the suspensions were designed, it’s a problem that affects at least three or four areas. If much of that behaviour disappears, and it appears to be the case, we will be able to make important progress.”

“Last year’s basic package wasn’t bad. It seemed like we were lacking downforce. However, that wasn’t really the case. For a variety of reasons, we were having difficulty extracting it, and a lot of our focus over the past few months was just making sure we understood what they were.”

"If we have come up with a solution here and there that is reminiscent of other cars, it is because our research has shown it to be the best. In the past, we simply copied things and then tried to understand how they work."

Coming off this and through extensive simulation work it was acknowledge that the FW46 design would have to include significant changes when compared to previous Williams models.

Alex commented on the fact that the issues that the team has tried to eliminate in the FW46 go beyond just those seen in the FW45: “But it’s not just my feedback, it’s every team-mate, even 2021, 2020, when I wasn’t even driving the car, it was the same issues.

“There’s always been an inherent issue with the Williams cars in the last 4 or 5 years.

Alex added: “Definitely in the simulator you can see that these areas have improved, but at the same time that comes with quite a different driving style.

“I think really until you hit the track you can really start to try to understand it and pick it apart.”

“We've changed the philosophy of the car slightly, so I'm curious to see if we can improve some of the characteristics that the car has historically had. It will require an adjustment in driving style, but I am confident it will be a change for the better.”

Alex also thinks that Logan will benefit from the nature of the new FW46. "Because the car is more predictable."

With the changes to the car and the expected improvements both Alex and Logan are going to have to adapt their driving style as they find that the previous issues with the FW45 have been removed in the new FW46.

Alex added: "The new car feels completely different. I had to adapt my driving style for it."

“Very different, more than anything, different feeling, so different driving style applied.

“I think that, let’s see, obviously, I don’t want to speak too soon, but the 45 always had some consistent limitations with the car, especially when we went to tracks like Monaco or Barcelona, they were highlighted.

“Low speed was always a big issue for us, braking was always a big issue for us, but also high speed, long corners were difficult for us.”

“I think this year especially we’ve sacrificed a little bit of development time on the 45 car to focus on the 46.

“Shortening the amount of upgrades we had on the car, to make sure that we try to attack this car a little bit more aggressively and really start to change the DNA of the car.

“That’s the plan, let’s see if it happens.”

For James Vowles he sees the development of the FW46 as something that has seen the team and its technical staff take a very different philosophy into the process of creating the FW46. James is more motivated than ever to see Williams move back to the front of the F1 field and is prepared to see his team take risks..

James explained: “I made it clear at the factory that the burden of failure will fall on my shoulders.

“I don’t want anyone to be held back by the fear of failure, or by the fear of pushing themselves beyond the limits of their comfort zone.

James added: “The FW46 means a lot to me. Because in this car, there is a lot of my way of thinking, my DNA, my structure.”

“In Formula 1, you need to dare. Too often, we try to stay in the comfort zone, where we feel at ease. But in this way, we risk making only small steps forward in improving the car’s performance.

“Those who dare progress, while those who stay in their comfort zone lose positions on the grid. But moving forward doesn’t mean being satisfied with being 7th or 8th.

“I will only be satisfied when we fight for the World Championships and, above all, we win them. There were times when I was not ashamed to admit that I couldn’t sleep due to the weight of having 1000 people on my shoulders.

“But I am confident that the direction we have taken for the future is the right one.”

So we have seen the 2024 livery but not the 2024 FW46. For me this adds another element of excitement as it won't be until the teams film day, one day before the start of pre-season testing that we will see the 2024 model. The FW46 will mark a significant change from the years before and one can only hope that the changes incorporated into the FW46 will put Williams in a strong position for their 2024 season.