Why Jaguar-Williams has rivals concerned

Almost universal positivity graced Formula E in the wake of the confirmation that Jaguar would join the championship.

But, as Autosport spoke to the big players and collected these views, the elephant in the paddock was never far away. Literally. Its tent was often within eyeshot.

To be frank, Jaguar in itself is a hell of a warning shot to the existing teams in the series, because a marque of that size and with the engineering nous it has at its disposal is a daunting opponent in its own right.

But it's the British manufacturer's tie-up with Williams Advanced Engineering that has been the cause of needle among some teams. WAE was not the only partner the marque scoped out to operate the race team, but it is arguably the most controversial choice of those on offer.

To clarify, WAE is the battery supplier to all the FE teams and offers on-event support. It is set to continue to supply batteries in seasons three and four, but Spark Racing Technologies will take over the diagnosis side.

WAE may still assume responsibility for some battery repair because its staff is trained to work with high voltage systems, but it insists it does not need any confidential information from teams, just the minimum from Spark to make the battery repair.

Handing over some of the logistical responsibilities to Spark, which already handles the contractual side of the teams' battery supply, has been a key step in ensuring transparency. The fact that WAE has been, and will remain, an integral part of the Formula E set-up has not been ignored.

Williams Advanced Engineering will operate the Jaguar race team © LAT

"It's no secret, it's probably been discussed for six months," says WAE managing director Craig Wilson, who will assume a race director role with Jaguar. "If this was ever going to be an eventuality we would need to do something like that."

What this step does is to send a clear message that the championship, the FIA and the Jaguar-Williams alliance are keen to avoid any potential smear on their respective integrity. After all, without a confidentiality agreement or separation of duties, it would be highly beneficial to have access to how well a particular powertrain composition manages a battery, from an operational and R&D standpoint.

Series CEO Alejandro Agag says this was at the heart of discussions between all parties over Jaguar joining and its Williams partnership.

"I think it's very, very important to keep a Chinese wall, so it's clear that the sport's fairness is not compromised," he maintains. "I think all the actors involved in this understand that very well - Williams, us, the teams, the FIA.

"It's mostly a problem for the FIA to sort out, luckily for me. Of course I'm always available to try and find a solution and I do understand why this is a concern."

It ultimately comes down to trust, but creating a clear distinction between WAE as a team partner and as a battery builder is important in fostering an environment in which trust comes more easily.

But there are, broadly speaking, two other concerns about Williams's resources and knowledge, and unsurprisingly in motorsport, they relate to the potential competitive advantage a rival may gain.

The company holds an ace card operationally. Whether it uses it or not is at the heart of the issue for some people, as Dragon Racing managing director Oriol Servia explains.

"There are two issues: one they have all the data and information about the powertrains and batteries, but also they have a lot more information about their batteries than they have given us up to today," the Spaniard says.

Servia says Williams needs to be more open with data © LAT

"As long as they then give us all that information, then it's [not a problem]. Up to now it's fine, but if all of a sudden you're racing against me, you need to tell me all that.

"Everyone's had the same information but if you are then doing it, you need to let us know the secrets."

Servia is referring to an approach from WAE that has centred around not giving the teams guidance on the best ways to manage the battery, rightly in this writer's opinion, so they learn for themselves. For example, in the wake of thermal management issues in Malaysia, WAE reiterated it would not be giving advice for the races in Uruguay and Argentina.

So, over the next few months, will it be more of an open book in that regard? E.dams boss Jean-Paul Driot has a committed answer.

"They won't share," he reckons. "It's competition and they are great competitors. I think they will do everything they can to beat everyone, which is the game.

"I am not worried about it, I've done this for 27 years and I know what is competition and a battle. It's just that because they have all the data for everyone here, I hope there will be ways of having everybody treated the same way.

"It's good there is such competition coming in. I just hope, like last year for us when Renault was just federating all the suppliers but never interfered in the car itself, for the same objectivity from a company like Williams, which has been working with all the teams for one and a half seasons with all the data they have.

"I hope they will, and the FIA will be interfering for the thing to go very nicely. Otherwise if there is a big disparity it's never good for a championship."

It will be down to the rulemakers to decide the best approach to that particular issue, but there's a much more black-and-white scenario to consider as well.

WAE is not Williams F1, it's not even an offshoot. They are sister companies within the Williams group, one that has a wealth of resources at its disposal. But because they are sister companies, it's not surprising rival teams are assuming there will be co-operation there. And expertise floats around - Wilson, for example, has plenty of F1 and wider racing experience.

Rival teams expect Williams to make use of F1 expertise © LAT

And as exhibited by the Renault e.dams alliance, it's not just a good powertrain that makes a winning team, it's all the other, more traditional pieces to the puzzle that add up.

Given the input WAE could offer on an R&D side, the gains here could be hugely significant.

"We are a little bit careful because they know the batteries and could have an advantage," admits Renault e.dams senior manager Alain Prost. "I'm more worried myself that they are professional people and will use all the facilities at Williams, and the knowledge from not only F1 but sportscar racing and all the experience in the past.

"They can use the windtunnel, the four-post rigs, but it's part of the game."

Team Aguri chief Mark Preston said earlier in the season that if he had a team linked to an F1 marque, the resources would be exploited to the maximum.

"It's positive, a big brand like that," he says. "The biggest single thing for me is the total knowledge Williams has as a company.

"It's not about the battery. There's more in the fact they run an F1 team and have simulators and windtunnels, all these things when nobody else is what you would call a big race team. I think that's more of their advantage."

But that's racing. And Wilson points out this sort of partnership is nothing new for Williams as a group. And the fact it is not a gig for the F1 arm makes all the difference.

"Our main business is F1, but in Williams' history it has operated teams for other people - BMW at Le Mans, Renault in the BTCC," he argues. "This is another role similar to those. It's not a Williams team though, it's a manufacturer's team.

Williams has run teams for others before, such as Renault's BTCC effort © LAT

"The main difference with this is in the past it's probably been a greater connection to the F1 business, where this is a greater connection to the WAE business in terms of the partnership."

Servia says the link between WAE and its sister F1 organisation is unfortunate, given the job it has done with its Formula E programme, but equally inescapable. He suggests the FIA should ensure there is no crossover within the group.

"At the end of the day Williams first of all has always been a race team," he says. "So in a way it's natural they are operating a race team in Formula E.

"It's another division of Williams that will be doing the development, and it's almost a shame they are called the same! But it is the same group involved.

"They just have to ensure that there is a line separating clearly both organisations within the same factory. It is a situation that has to be monitored closely, but I'm confident that Formula E and the FIA are aware it is in the interest of the championship.

"It could not have just gone by without a close analysis by the series and everyone."

Jaguar is a fundamentally positive addition to Formula E, and WAE getting involved in race operations adds a serious competitive element that should make everyone else up their game again, and drive the championship on. So at its most basic the partnership should prove to be a serious shot in the arm.

It's also equally undeniable that the situation is a delicate one that the championship and the FIA need to continue to manage carefully. But that is ultimately an issue for the rulemakers.

The Jaguar-Williams alliance has its rivals concerned for various reasons. In pure motorsport terms, it just makes the plot for season three all the more exciting.