Williams chairman Adam Parr sees no reason why his team’s new partnership with Renault cannot hit the ground running straightaway in 2012.
The Grove-based outfit announced on Monday that it was renewing its successful tie-up with French car manufacturer Renault from next year, in the latest of a string of major changes that are taking place at the team.
And although the results of its overhaul – which includes a new direction for its technical department – may take several years before it reaches its peak performance, Parr is upbeat about how quickly its switch to Renault engines will pay off.
“Why not?” said Parr when asked if he believed the tie-up with Renault could immediately deliver big progress in 2012. “The margins are so slim in F1. I see no reason why we cannot make the progress next year that we should have done this year. And it will not just be down to the engine, it will be down to everything.”
Parr undertook a detailed evaluation of Williams’s strengths and weaknesses on the back of the outfit’s worst ever start to a Formula 1 season – and the end result included the departure of technical director Sam Michael, who will leave at the end of the year, and the hiring of Mike Coughlan.
With the team’s Renault tie-up now delivering even more optimism for a future recovery, Parr said he felt the team was now in the shape it needed to move forward.
“I am very proud of what we have done in the last two or three months because we have obviously had a very decisive review of the technical side and where we have been weak and where we need to go,” he explained.
“The new people that we are bringing in are first class and we are very excited about that. Then secondly we announced the Jaguar partnership in May which is very significant for us as a company, and a bit of a positive for the team as well.
“Then today, it adds another substantial element to our foundations as a team and a company. If you add an IPO in March, it has been a busy six months really.
“I think we have got all the ingredients. I am very excited. And things are looking more positive. The on-track performance is not there, but it is better than it was and we can see light at the end of the tunnel. We can see where we are going now and it looks quite exciting.”
Parr admitted that the decisions taken by the team over the past few months had not been easy, but said that he and other chiefs needed to stick their necks out if the team’s situation was going to be sorted.
“When you are in a situation like this you have to be bold,” he said. “There is no way that you can just plod along and do the same old stuff and it is going to sort itself out. It doesn’t happen like that.
“Every decision we have made just made perfect sense. Referring to Mike [Coughlan], he is a joy to work with. He is totally motivated, he works seven days a week, he has tremendous experience, he has lost none of his flair and his understanding for what we do. And if other people don’t see that, then great for us. Long may it live!”
Parr said that the return of Renault would also give the team no excuse to blame its engine for a lack of results on track – and said his outfit had tried to secure a manufacturer tie-up with current engine partner Cosworth.
“You never know in F1 where your weak points are, so if you can eliminate them, then so much the better,” he said.
“This deal will make a number of fundamental differences. First of all it is a world championship winning engine, and we are in a world where a tenth matters. Secondly, it is a partnership between us and an independent engine maker as well as a car maker, and that is very important.
“We did explore that with Cosworth – could we bring a car maker into the partnership? Unfortunately we were not able to do that. From that minute onwards, it is Cosworth who said that we cannot develop an engine for 2013, and I can understand that because it is a huge investment.
“The other thing is for our partners, and for our drivers, and for our colleagues. It sends out a message that we are going to get back, and it is a sign of great encouragement.”
Parr also played down talk that HRT team principal Colin Kolles was set to join his outfit, despite speculation suggesting the option is being considered.
“I don’t know who started that rumour, but we have very much got the group we want now for the future. We were not far off the mark. It is just that we were not quite there.”
Autosport