It’s still early days in the Formula 1 driver market for 2022, with the big decisions at the top teams and their knock-on effects down the field yet to be finalised.
With so many driver moves happening from last season to this, it won’t be the most busy year for driver moves, but there will still be some crucial decisions to be made – and the Williams team offers a tantalising option.
Williams will keep hold of George Russell if it can, although there’s a strong possibility he will slot into a Mercedes seat next year in place of Valtteri Bottas. Nicholas Latifi’s position in the team is also not set in stone, meaning Williams could potentially be in the market for two new drivers in 2022.
While moving to Williams held little appeal 12 months ago, the takeover by Dorilton Capital and resulting investment means the team is now on an upward trajectory – even if it is very much in the early stages of that recovery after bottoming out in its diabolical 2019 season.
Williams remains point-less this year and has finished last in the constructors’ championship for three consecutive seasons, but it now represents an interesting, if admittedly risky, option.
“We haven’t thought too much about that yet,” said Williams team principal Simon Roberts when asked about the possibility of having to replace Russell next year.
“George is with us all year and that’s what we’re looking for. But going forward, it’s a new era for the team and we’re going to be looking for performance.
“And performance comes in drivers as well as what we can do with the car.”
Given Roberts underlines the importance of performance, that calls into question Latifi’s position. He’s well-backed and his performances have been capable enough but he’s been some way off Russell’s level. So by the logic of Roberts prioritising performance there could be as many as two seats going. Of course, whether financial support is still a factor too is another matter.
Williams would be no driver’s first choice, but that doesn’t prevent it being an intriguing option for anyone chasing a seat for 2021. With many of the top drives and frontrunning midfield teams, such as Ferrari and McLaren, locked in for 2022, it offers an appealing long-term project among the relatively small number of options.
While Williams is unlikely to leap into contention for podium finishes through the rule change, as it did when the V6 turbo hybrid engines were introduced in 2014, it can aspire to be more competitive next year.
Perhaps even Valtteri Bottas, if he really is dropped by Mercedes for Russell while Hamilton stays on, should consider it? A Williams alumnus, having raced for the team with distinction from 2013-2016 before being bought out of his contract by Mercedes after the shock retirement of world champion Nico Rosberg, he would be an ideal signing.
Not only is he a very quick driver, just one with the misfortune to have been benchmarked against an all-time great since 2017, but he also has vast experience of how Mercedes operates. He’s also a proven race winner, even if his victories haven’t been as frequent as they could have been.
Bottas turns 32 in August so he still has plenty of years ahead of him should he want to continue in F1 and could play the role of the experienced hand very effectively. Inevitably, were there to be an opening at a team like Alpine, that would also appeal but for the longer term it wouldn’t necessarily blow Williams out of the water.
But Bottas is just being used as an example. Many of the arguments that mean he would do well to consider Williams, if the worst happens and he doesn’t extend his stay with Mercedes, apply to other drivers.
On the current grid, Sergio Perez still has work to do to convince Red Bull he’s its best long-term choice. Perez did have some contact with Williams last year, so perhaps those channels could reopen if things do go wrong at Red Bull?
We also can’t rule out the potential for changes at Alpine or even AlphaTauri – although there’s every chance they will opt for continuity like Ferrari and McLaren have.
And the driver market usually has a sting in the tail so any number of drivers could find themselves searching for a drive.
Williams is certainly more appealing than a move to Alfa Romeo or Haas – although the latter should run the same line-up next year – and its ambitions mean it potentially has better long-term prospects than some in the midfield.
The key question is how long is ‘long term’? It has to constitute the long game for any driver who is there – and perhaps if Russell doesn’t get his Mercedes chance he should be wary of upping sticks and looking elsewhere given the promise of the future?
It’s also a good prospect for aspiring F1 drivers. Reserve driver Jack Aitken acquitted himself well on his grand prix debut last year (despite wiping out his front wing) and remains a contender for a race seat thanks to being in the fold. And there will be a plethora of prospects from the junior ladder for which Williams would be a great starting point for an F1 career.
But this isn’t so much about the contenders and candidates. Simply that Williams, as a team with ambitions to return to the front and steady, consistent investment promised, should at the very least be able to re-emerge as a strong midfield runner in the coming years – and beyond that, perhaps even better.
And that’s down to the new start offered by the new ownership, combined with the introduction of the cost cap and the more equitable sharing of the slice of F1’s revenue the teams split.
That might just make Williams a gamble worth taking – at least for those who might need a more creative option outside of the usual suspects.
