FW25 a Completely New Car, Says Head

Williams technical director has branded their new FW25 as a completely new car based on new ideas instead of being a development of last year's FW24.

"The chassis derives little from previous cars," said Head. "The approach has relied less on iteration, and instead has called for the generation of new ideas. 2002 showed us that our chassis was a model of reliability, but that there's still room for improvement particularly on the aerodynamic front. That's why the FW25 is a completely new race car."

The new car, which was unveiled this morning at the Barcelona circuit, is shorter than the FW24, and the team said under the skin all of the key installations have been reworked. In terms of the aerodynamic package, Williams said they have approached the FW25 with a new philosophy, which is apparent in the different visual appearance.

The FW25 was designed by a team led by chief designer Gavin Fisher, while the new BMW P83 engine was designed in Munich under the guidance of director of F1 development Heinz Paschen. BMW motorsport director Mario Theissen said the new unit is even more powerful that last year's engine.

"To achieve our aim we have built an even more powerful engine in Munich. Yet again, we were the first to test it on the track and even earlier than last year. The BMW P83, like its two predecessors, is designed to be the most powerful engine in Formula One."

The FW25 will take to the track for the first time this afternoon at Barcelona.