No plans for team name change, says Williams F1 boss

Amid the hectic flurry of Formula 1 activity on the team management, driver lineup and team name change fronts at present, Williams insists it has no intention of changing its iconic name.

Sauber has become Stake or Kick, Alpha Tauri is now Visa Cash App RB - but boss James Vowles says Williams will continue to be called Williams despite the death of its co-founder and the 2020 sale to Dorilton Capital.

"I think it’s one of the biggest brands - certainly in motorsport and certainly in the UK," Vowles is quoted as saying by the French magazine Auto Hebdo.

"I have no desire to change it, any more than Dorilton does, because it means a lot. Frank Williams and his legacy remains with us."

Vowles revealed that a close inspection of the 2024 Williams livery even includes the original Frank Williams arrow logo. "I wanted to reflect that I’m not here to replace him but to continue Williams’ legacy," he insisted.

As for the so-far unrevealed livery for Max Verstappen’s title-defending Red Bull car this year, the triple world champion let the cat out of the bag while chatting with fellow racers on the online sim racing platform Twitch.

"It’s going to look exactly the same," said the Dutchman.

In other news, the traditional and much-loved grand prix venues at Silverstone and Suzuka have renewed their deals with Formula 1 through 2034 and 2029 respectively.

And organisers of the Dutch GP have been awarded F1’s promoter of the year for 2023, despite only having a race contract for the 2024 and 2025 editions.

"The fact that we are seen as the best promoter among all these world cities is of course a wonderful reward," Zandvoort circuit boss Robert van Overdijk is quoted by Algemeen Dagblad newspaper.