The Mercedes-powered FW36, which will be driven by Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas in 2014, is one of the team's most technologically advanced F1 cars according to the Grove-based oufit, a culmination of more than two years research and development by Williams' technical departments in Grove.
"There's a lot more technology on the cars this year," Chief Technical Officer Pat Symonds said. "We've had turbo-charged engines in F1 before; what's different this time is that it is much more than just an engine change, it is a completely different system. We've gone from a slightly hybridised normally-aspirated engine to a fully-integrated hybrid power unit with novel technology at its heart."
"This is the first time that Williams has worked with Mercedes in F1 and we've been very impressed," Symonds said. "Their professionalism and commitment have been notable and we're as confident as we can be that the power unit will be competitive."
"Overall the cars will need more cooling this year," Symonds added. "The demands on water and oil cooling may be slightly diminished, but the ERS system is significantly more powerful and hence needs more cooling. We also have to cool the charge air from the turbocharger compressor which requires a substantial intercooler."
The FW36 will feature Williams' first ever eight-speed gearbox, which had ran on the dyno for the first time in November last year, before running with the full power unit a couple of weeks later.
"We finished the gearbox relatively early," Symonds said. "It's completed a lot of running on the test rig and at Mercedes High Performance Powertrains in Brixworth, but you can't take reliability for granted. It's a completely new 'box and it has to cope with a lot more torque than was the case with the V8."
Prior to Christmas, the new Williams chassis passed all of its crash tests, but Symonds admitted that it was a difficult task to get the car down to the minimum weight limit of 690kg.
"The build of the new car has gone remarkably smoothly," Symonds explained, "but it's been a challenge to get the car down to the weight limit. It's been achievable, but it hasn't been easy because the new power unit is heavier than the outgoing V8."
The team finalised their launch-specification aerodynamic package in December, with an upgrade package for the season-opener in Australia signed off in early January.
"F1 is still going to be an aerodynamic formula in 2014," Symonds said. "There are some significant changes: the nose is lower than last year and the front wing is narrower, which means the end plates are now more shrouded by the front tyre. The rear wing isn't as deep as last year and the beam wing below it is no longer permitted, and we've also lost the ability to use the exhaust to enhance aero performance."
Despite the rule changes for 2014, Symonds is confident that his team will improve its form to fight at the front end of the grid this season.
"I'm confident that we'll be closer to the front aerodynamically than we were last year," Symonds said. "Our ambition for the year ahead is to have a strong 2014 season.
The FW36 will be officially unveiled at next week's pre-season test in Jerez, where Valtteri Bottas will give the car its first track laps on day one and two. Felipe Massa will then take over driving duties for the final two days of the first pre-season test this year.
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