If you looked at the table of all-time championships, you'd surely believe Williams were one of the most royal contenders in all of F1's history. While that remains the case in both the 70s and 90s, the team named after the knighted Frank Williams continues to be an afterthought in 2020. No one in their right mind would tip them for a title now. Very few even predicted them to score points.
Yet now, for the first time ever, Williams plans to be owned an operated by someone lacking the immortal surname. American conglomerate Dorliton Capital now takes the reins going forwards. Their ambition seems... secure, with at least the intent to stick around for the next cycle of regulations. However, their decision to maintain the Williams name seems odd in the face of owning the team going forward. Obviously the Williams name holds a thoughtful weight in F1, but for a team struggling so heavily financially to not be associated with a partnered brand suggests the new owners may not be looking towards the team as a long-term investment.
New owners aside, we are yet to see what kind of personnel the new owners plan on bringing in. Former team deputy Simon Roberts has held the unenviable position of team principle ever since Claire Williams' departure. Following the miserable performances of the past three seasons, the impact of his role next year cannot be understated. This means, not unlike most other teams on the grid, Williams must look towards 2021 to secure any semblance of form going forwards. The issue is, so is every other team.
That ambition to return to the top then in the first few years of still sky-high budget caps will not come easily. The team at the back will have to entice some top-tier talent to envision themselves anywhere but last in the years upcoming. One facet of these new regulation is however, that there is more of an incentive to go to these small teams, and to try to build them up from the back. As things stand, there is no reason to go there. More money, and more prestige at the big teams. This all gets turned upside-down for 2022 onwards. Let the games begin.
Ultimately, the target for Williams should be to leapfrog the teams with smaller ambitions. Haas and Alfa are both struggling financially, and therefore should be considered easy targets to pick off for 2022. It is important to mention though, that even with the pitiful 2020 Ferrari engine unit, both Haas and Alfa handily outscored Williams this season. Nonetheless, the Williams team should target 6th in the championship as theirs going forward. The massive investments of everyone from Ferrari, Red Bull, McLaren, Mercedes, and Renault will be hard to keep up with. Even with the new rules, the institutional knowledge and discipline of those teams far outweighs that of the scrapping British outfit.
Their goal should be to reestablish themselves as a midfield team, escape the Mercedes Junior tag, and then sign some adequate drivers. Pace from the cockpit side will allow a sliding scale of results that can actually bring them above what the car's worth. Granted that inconsistency strikes, there will be many holes to punch through the "top six" at some point in the future.
Build it, and they will come.
Ultimately, AlphaTauri, Haas, Sauber, and at best Aston should be within the sights of this team for the near future. Following the success of 2013, '14, and '15, Williams will be hopeful Mercedes can lift them to success with another rapid engine package for 2021 onwards.
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