Williams still searching for a permanent solution to cooling issues
The Grove-based Formula 1 team is continuing to work intensively to resolve the ongoing issues affecting its brake cooling system. However, despite all efforts, a definitive and permanent solution has yet to be found. In the meantime, small updates will be introduced at the upcoming race at Spa-Francorchamps.
The first half of the 2025 Formula 1 season has been considerably more encouraging for the Williams Racing team when compared to last year. Yet, within the factory in Grove, concerns remain — particularly around the current FW47 car — even as the countdown toward the sweeping new technical regulations for 2026 continues to tick away.
In recent Grands Prix, both Williams cars have been metaphorically running with the handbrake on. A series of brake overheating problems have compromised the performance and results of both Alexander Albon and Carlos Sainz Jr., forcing them to rely on luck to avoid further mechanical failures and premature retirements during races.
Alexander Albon, for instance, was forced to retire early during the Sunday race not just in Canada at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, but also at the Austrian Grand Prix held at the Red Bull Ring. More broadly, both drivers experienced difficulties in Spain as well. The arrival of summer has only made matters worse. Carlos Sainz has also suffered from an inefficient cooling system in the brake assembly, further limiting his performance potential.
As a result, Williams has been forced to run both cars with a temporary fix — a stopgap solution that, while it has helped limit the severity of the overheating, has unfortunately come at the cost of overall performance and aerodynamic efficiency.
Team Principal James Vowles recently commented on the issue, acknowledging the internal struggle:
“Clearly, we’ve been held back by this cooling issue that has appeared at several races this year — most notably, during the retirement in Austria where we were actually in a strong position performance-wise,” Vowles explained.
“At Silverstone, we ran a very different program in Free Practice 1 compared to most of the other teams, focusing specifically on addressing this cooling challenge. Right now, we’re trying different approaches between Alex and Carlos.”
“We have solutions that allow us to get the car through a race distance, but they do come with a compromise — they degrade our performance. Ideally, we’re looking for a solution that doesn’t force us to throw away lap time in exchange for reliability, and the team is working extremely hard on achieving that goal.”
Although Vowles did not go into specific technical details, he did acknowledge that oversizing the brake cooling ducts can lead to aerodynamic penalties, particularly in the form of increased drag. Moreover, the design of the brake ducts — as well as the shape and positioning of the front and rear wing flaps — has become a critical area of aerodynamic development. These components help control the airflow vortices originating from the car’s front-end, which are essential in maintaining a stable aerodynamic balance.
Looking ahead to the next round of the 2025 Formula 1 World Championship at the legendary Spa-Francorchamps circuit in Belgium, Williams will be bringing a small set of updates.
“We’ll have a few minor changes for Spa,” confirmed Vowles, “but the most important thing is that we continue to maximize the performance of the car we have right now.”
“We still have points on the table between now and the end of the season. What matters most is that we execute our race weekends perfectly and stay alert to every opportunity that presents itself.”
“We have a strong lineup of races ahead of us — races we enjoy — and the goal is to extract every possible result that the car is capable of delivering,” concluded the Williams team boss.
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