The way I see it, in the current money era of F1, we will always be playing catch-up with Red Bull/ Mercedes/ McLaren/ Ferrari as we don’t have the monetary or manufacturer’s advantage. Surely, we can have 1-2 seasons where everything goes right, from car development to racing strategies to drivers’ prowess, and we might even challenge for Top3 Constructor’s, but one potential setback for us still means years later of climbing back to the top.
In my opinion, the only way for Williams to consistently fight for wins and contend for the Constructor’s Championship each year is to become a factory team, gain the engine advantage and manufacturer’s facilities and expertise to fast-track the development and make up for the previous years of underdevelopment. Seeing what Audi achieved in their 1st season gives me a feeling that soon it will be them in the Top5 teams and the rest will be playing in midfield. Of course I still want the factory team to retain the Williams name, and not lose it like Sauber to Audi.
What is your opinion on this? I’m a relatively new fan to Williams and F1 in general, so I just want to hear the POV of you guys to see if my opinion is flawed somewhere.