FW43B
The FW43B: Williams' return to points and podiums in 2021.
The Williams FW43B is a Formula One car introduced by Williams for the 2021 season. It is an evolution of the FW43, which was used in 2020 and had its lifespan extended to compete in 2021 under an agreement between teams and the FIA. The FW43B was designed to compete in the 2021 season and made its debut at the Bahrain Grand Prix.
Quick Facts
- Season of operation
- 2021
Lore & Background
The FW43B was introduced in March 2021, with its first shakedown in February 2021 at Silverstone driven by Roy Nissany. Nissany also drove the car on March 12, 2021 during pre-season testing in Bahrain, and during the first practice session of the 2021 Spanish Grand Prix. The car's livery pays homage to Williams' successful past and to Sir Frank Williams, who founded the team and remained Team Principal until September 2020. The FW43 competed in the final races of 2020 without the Williams family managing the team, so the FW43B is not the first. At the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, both Latifi and Russell retired after Latifi's contact with Nikita Mazepin and Russell's own crash. The team scored their first points of the season at the Hungarian Grand Prix, with Latifi and Russell finishing 9th and 10th on the road, respectively, before being promoted one place up each following Sebastian Vettel's disqualification. At the next race in Belgium, Russell qualified 2nd and was classified 2nd after a rain-shortened race, while Latifi was classified 9th, giving Williams their first podium since the 2017 Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Three races later in Russia, Russell qualified 3rd and finished 10th, which proved to be his last points finish for Williams, but Williams scored points later at the 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix (Latifi finished 9th), so this was not Williams' last point of the season.
Reader's Guide
The FW43B was driven by George Russell and Nicholas Latifi throughout the 2021 season. Roy Nissany also drove the car during pre-season testing and in a practice session. The car represented a strong step forward in qualifying and race pace compared to its predecessor, with Russell regularly challenging for top 10 qualifying positions. The team finished 8th in the Constructors' Championship.
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