Thankfully, the mooted Valentines' Day special livery that enrobed the Williams FW47 was none too garish, once the car was revealed during its Silverstone shakedown on Friday. The dark blue screenfade effect was actually quite cool, almost like a gateway into a badly damaged '90s CRT screen - with the lingering screen burn of a time when Williams was at the zenith of Formula 1. It has no secrets about its lofty ambitions to return there.
The good ship HMS Williams is picking up steam. James Vowles, now at the helm for a third year, has picked up a highly-rated new crewman and a new title sponsor - its first since ROKiT was involved with the team during its turn-of-the-decade nadir. But the team has been increasingly keen to point out that its focus on the FW47 is, in effect, a brief layover - success under the 2026 regulations is the current destination.
