The Williams FW40 was a

Formula One Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...

racing car Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. Auto racing has existed since the invention of the automobile. Races of various sorts were organise ...

Felipe Massa Felipe Massa (, born 25 April 1981) is a Brazilian racing driver. He competed in 15 seasons of Formula One between 2002 and 2017, where he scored 11 Grand Prix victories, 41 podiums and finished as championship runner-up in 2008 by one poin ...

and

Lance Stroll Lance Strulovitch (born 29 October 1998), better known as Lance Stroll, is a Canadian–Belgian racing driver competing under the Canadian flag in Formula One. He has driven for Aston Martin since , having previously driven for Williams and R ...

, who made his Formula One début with the team.

Background

The number '40' in the chassis name signified the 40th anniversary of the team. In addition, it was the last Formula One car that Massa drove in his career, as he announced his retirement for a second time in November. In

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

, the car appeared in British motorcycle rider

Guy Martin Guy Martin (born 4 November 1981) is a British former motorcycle racer and heavy vehicle mechanic who became a television presenter. In July 2017, Martin retired from motorcycle racing. Martin started racing in 1998 and in 2004 competed on a ...

's series '' Speed with Guy Martin''.

Competition history

Williams started the season as the fourth quickest team ahead of arch rivals

Force India Force India Formula One Team Limited, commonly known as Force India and later Sahara Force India, was a Formula One racing team and constructor based in Silverstone, United Kingdom, with an Indian licence. The team was formed in October 20 ...

. However, the team could not finish consistently in the points, and Lance Stroll finished only thrice in the first 7 races. This saw the team languishing in 6th in the Constructors' Championship behind

Toro Rosso Scuderia Toro Rosso (; literal translation of "Red Bull Racing Team"), commonly known as Toro Rosso or by its abbreviation STR, was an Italian Formula One racing team. It was one of two Formula One teams owned by Austrian beverage company Red ...

and 49 points behind Force India. At the

Canadian Grand Prix The Canadian Grand Prix (french: Grand Prix du Canada) is an annual motor racing event held since 1961. It has been part of the Formula One World Championship since 1967. It was first staged at Mosport Park in Bowmanville, Ontario, as a sports ...

, Stroll earned his first F1 points by finishing in ninth. Stroll earned his first podium by finishing third in the chaotic

Azerbaijan Grand Prix The Azerbaijan Grand Prix ( az, Azərbaycan Qran Prisi) is a Formula One motor racing event that was held for the first time in . It is held on the Baku City Circuit, a street circuit in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan. The event is due to take ...

. By doing so, Stroll became the second youngest driver to be on the podium, and the youngest driver on the podium in his debut season. This result brought Williams up to 5th in the Constructors' standings, behind Force India but ahead of Toro Rosso. At the

Hungarian Grand Prix The Hungarian Grand Prix ( hu, Magyar Nagydíj) is a motor racing event held annually in Mogyoród. Since 1986, the race has been a round of the FIA Formula One World Championship. History Origins The first Hungarian Grand Prix was held on 21 ...

, Massa withdrew from the race weekend when he became ill after the third practice session on Saturday. Williams confirmed reserve driver and Sky Sports F1 pundit

Paul di Resta Paul di Resta (born 16 April 1986) is a British racing driver from Scotland, competing in the FIA World Endurance Championship for Peugeot Sport in their LMH entry. He drove in Formula One for Force India from to , and became a reserve driver ...

would replace Massa for the rest of the weekend. It was his first appearance in an F1 car in a competitive session in 3 years, and was his first time driving the 2017 spec-car.

Complete Formula One results

(

key Key or The Key may refer to: Common meanings * Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm * Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock * Key (map ...

) (results in bold indicate pole position; results in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap) Driver failed to finish the race, but was classified as they had completed greater than 90% of the race distance.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams FW40 Williams Formula One cars 2017 Formula One season cars