Why Did Williams F1 Erase the Ayrton Senna Tribute From Its 2022 Livery?

Williams Racing F1 team has finally unveiled their 2022 challenger, and the new iconic livery has been catching the attention of the fans. However, another notable aspect has been the removal of the iconic Senna “S” logo from this year’s livery.

Ayrton Senna is undoubtedly one of the best drivers in Formula One history, who inspired many young drivers. The Brazilian driver joined Williams Racing in 1994 after successful stints with teams like Toleman, Lotus and McLaren. But the 34-year-old driver unfortunately passed away at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix after a fatal crash.

Since 1995, Williams have ben using a Senna ‘S’ Sticker on every F1 livery to pay tribute the Brazilian. However, the 2022 challenger doesn’t feature the iconic Senna sticker. The F1 team claimed that it is finally time for them to move past the tragedy and step into a new future.

Team Principal Jost Capito said, “I think we had to look now in the future and not showing the drivers the ‘S’ all the time they get in the car and being reminded of what happened.”

“Now it’s time for the team to move on and be very honourable to Senna and having a very dedicated space in the museum and honour him there.”

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What are the Williams Racing team’s plans for 2022?

Williams Racing is a historic team in Formula One that once achieved great success in the sport. However, the F1 team has suffered a lot in the past decade, mostly appearing in the bottom three of the constructor standings. The Grove-based team finished eighth in the 2021 constructor standings, only ahead of Alfa Romeo and Haas.

The British Formula One team also lost their ace driver George Russell this season who got them a podium finish last season. The British prodigy left Williams to fill the vacant seat of Valtteri Bottas in Mercedes F1. Whereas, the other Williams driver Nicholas Latifi will continue with the British constructors. Meanwhile, the former Red Bull driver Alex Albon will fill the void left behind by Russell.

The Team Principal Capito is very confident about their new car and believes this is the first step towards a bright future. Therefore, it is worth keeping an eye on the upcoming Bahrain shakedown which will reveal the FW44’s performance.

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