Williams to Skip One Car Number in 2027
The British Formula 1 team is preparing a symbolic gesture to mark its anniversary. To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Williams Grand Prix Engineering's debut, which took place at the 1977 Spanish Grand Prix, the team has decided to break the traditional numbering sequence of their chassis. After this year's FW48 car, the team will skip FW49. The 2027 car will be named FW50 to commemorate the milestone.
This is not the first time the team has done this: in 2017, Williams similarly skipped a number to honor their 40th anniversary, naming the car FW40 and skipping FW39. The perfect alignment of years and car numbers was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, when in 2021 the team used an updated FW43B chassis instead of moving on to FW44 to save costs.
It is notable that despite changes in ownership, Williams continues to honor its heritage and uses the iconic FW abbreviation in tribute to its founder, Frank Williams.
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