Renault will supply engines to Williams from 2012

The French manufacturer will supply its V8s to the Grove team until 2013 and holds an option for supplying its V6 for 2014.

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Fifteen years after the end of their partnership, following the withdrawal of the diamond brand at the end of the 1997 season, Williams and Renault will be new partners again starting in 2012, with the French engine manufacturer supplying its V8 to the Grove team until 2013, with an option to supply its V6 in 2014.

“We are thrilled and excited about our new partnership with Renault,” said Frank Williams, who signed among his greatest moments of glory with the engine manufacturer now based in Viry-Châtillon. “Our previous collaboration was one of the most victorious in Williams’ history, but we must not dwell too much on the past. We need to look towards the future and continue to rebuild our reputation on the track, which I hope today’s announcement will help us achieve.”

Bernard Rey, president of Renault Sport, stated: « Renault remains in Formula One to win while maintaining reasonable costs, and the partnership with Williams has great potential to enhance the results we have achieved in recent years with our partner teams. »

The French engine manufacturer is indeed one of the main contributors to the current success of the Red Bull team, which was the driver and constructor world champion in 2010 and has had a start to the season that even the Williams-Renault partnership itself would not have disowned. The team from Grove, on the other hand, has shown significantly more difficulties in the past two years and is actually the reason for the FIA’s intervention on blown diffusers, with Cosworth being the only engine manufacturer unable to exploit the trick developed by Renault and Red Bull in 2010.

But the Williams team has never hidden its frustration at no longer being able to work with a manufacturer and has often found itself at the center of rumors linking it to Volkswagen, Audi, or even Renault, as recently as last season. Williams has recently taken significant steps, commercially and technically […] and we believe this partnership is another important step in its rigorous plan, says Bernard Rey. It reminds us how determined the team is to achieve results, which perfectly aligns with our own objectives.

The French manufacturer will therefore equip four teams in Formula 1 in 2012: Red Bull Racing, Lotus Renault Grand Prix, Team Lotus, and Williams. While some fear that Williams might be the team too many, for the new partners, it is quite the opposite, an asset. “Nowadays, the number of engines used per season is very low: from over 200 engines per team a decade ago, we have fallen to about twenty and by 2014, it could well be halved again,” declares Adam Parr. Moreover, with the limitation of testing, supplying four teams gives Renault more data for reliability and potential developments. Renault has always shown total integrity by demonstrating fairness with its partners, and this is an essential factor for us.

Bernard Rey also concedes that providing four teams will be more of an asset than a drawback: « As of 2012, having four partner teams will put us ahead of other engine manufacturers in terms of market share, but off the track, it will also allow us to continue using Formula One as a marketing platform and to try to bring some of this partnership to our fans and customers around the world. »

Williams is indeed a partner of choice for the French manufacturer, with the Grove team having invested in the hybrid technology sector by founding Williams Hybrid Power and partnering, for example, with Jaguar for the design of the C-X75 Hybrid. Expertise that could prove useful in the development of the V6 engine planned for 2014.

But the Williams-Renault association remains above all a myth for many fans who will no doubt feel a touch of emotion during the presentation of the next FW34. Of course, it is also a great pride to revive the Williams-Renault name. Together, we produced race cars that are recognized for their technical innovation, and it remains the most victorious period for Renault to date. It’s an extremely exciting opportunity for both Renault and Williams, assures Bernard Rey.

Williams thus puts an end to a two-year partnership with Cosworth, which now only supplies its engines to teams at the back of the grid. « We are grateful to Cosworth, who has been a reliable and fair partner both off and on the track throughout these two years, and we look forward to working with them through our future activities, » said Sir Frank Williams.

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