Williams still working towards a new dawn

Lights Out
Iréne-Mari van der Walt
  • 6 Months Ago 21 June 2024
While Williams Racing are barely keeping themselves away from being the biggest losers of the 2024 Formula One season, they appear to be making moves toward ensuring that the future is at the front for them.

The latest of these steps is the appointment of Adam Kenyon as their head of aerodynamics. Who better to help Williams to the top than a man who has nearly 20 years of experience in Formula 1 and has spent the bulk of it in top teams?

Adam Kenyon, who graduated from Cambridge with a masters degree in engineering, has a PhD in aerodynamics from Imperial College London and started his work in F1 as a CFD engineer for Red Bull Racing.

He then shared a motorhome with Williams’ current team principal, James Vowles, when he worked in aerodynamics for Mercedes where Vowles spent about two decades in the strategy department before taking the reigns at Williams. Here's to hoping the two had the time to get to know each other in-between all those championships.

Kenyon said goodbye to the team before Vowles followed to Williams, serving as their chief aerodynamicist before his most recent promotion to head of aerodynamics. The two titles may seem similar, but Williams will certainly be hoping that the end result will be something entirely different from the car that brought them a double DNF the last time it left their motorhome.

Vowles has expressed, in no uncertain terms, that Williams is at the beginning of an complete rebuilding. One of many questions is whether or not American driver Logan Sargeant will be spared.

Apparently, Sargeant has yet do deliver the performance that will show that he should keep his seat next season, as Vowles was quoted as saying the team “needs more from him”. Vowles has publically praised Carlos Sainz, who is still in the market for a 2025 drive, and noted that he is one of two top candidates for the team next year.

Some expect that an announcement of Sainz's move to Williams may come as early as this weekend, but in Formula 1 nothing is certain until it’s signed.

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