Low-key season start for Williams

Williams showed off their new FW34 car for the 2012 World Championship season in Jerez yesterday hoping for better form after what was the outfit’s worst season ever.

It was a deliberately low-key introduction as the vehicle was merely pushed out of the garage at the winter testing circuit and, after a brief photo shoot, it was rolled back in again.

Team principal Frank Williams said that they had enjoyed “a good winter at the factory” and were ready to enter the Grand Prix arena.

“One could say looking at the Williams F1 Team today we are off to a truly fresh start,” he said.

“We have a new car, new driver line up, new engine and new senior personnel. We also have a number of new partners who have joined the team in the past few months.

“I’d like to take this opportunity to welcome them formally and sincerely wish they have an enjoyable and, most importantly, a valuable experience with us.”

The new car carries over from last year just five per cent of the parts, while crucially the team now has a new engine supplier in Renault, reuniting with the French manufacturer who were pivotal to their success throughout the 1990s.

Williams also have a new technical director in Mike Coughlan, replacing Patrick Head, as well as a new driver in Bruno Senna, the Brazilian replacing his fellow countryman Rubens Barrichello.