Williams revealed on Monday the livery that will adorn their 2019 Formula 1 challenger while ushering in a new title sponsor in the form of mobile phone start-up Rokit.
The paint job deviated from the Williams norm, which briefly troubled deputy team chief Claire Williams who feared her father’s reaction to the change, after all, it is still the team that Sir Frank Williams built.
She explained, “Frank loved it, and you might be surprised to hear that. I was a little nervous presenting it to him. Frank is very traditional and protective of the traditional navy blue and white, but also understanding of the arguments behind the change.”
“We are telling the world a very clear story and clear message as to where we are as a company. He is fully behind it. I am still here, and if he didn’t like it, he would have fired me.”
It’s all change at Williams for 2019, gone is the iconic Martini branding and in their place is little-known Rokit, while both their 2018 drivers have been replaced by Robert Kubica and George Russell.
Williams revealed, “Martini’s departure gave us a great opportunity to show how we wanted to position Williams moving forward. This is a very important year for us, so we spent a lot of time on this livery.”
“A lot of people are fully aware of our traditional colours, but I wanted to move away from that and show the world we are a fresh, revitalised brand.
“A Formula One car is your shop window to the world so I wanted to make sure we came out with a really bright livery,” added Williams ahead of a vital season for the once mighty outfit.