SUMMARY
- Williams started their relationship with Mercedes in 2014.
- Although Mercedes saw a lot of success with their engine, Williams were not able to win a single race.
Today we know that Mercedes supplies engines for the Williams F1 team. But it was not always like this. Williams has received engines from Mercedes, Renault, Honda, Cosworth, Toyota, and even BMW while racing in F1. This begs the question, when did Williams decide to switch to Mercedes’ engines and have they won any Championships with it?
Mercedes saw a lot of success in the last decade. However, they are currently not the best team on the grid. We see Red Bull making a lot of progress in front allowing them to dominate the sport. Despite this setback in 2022, Mercedes continues to supply engines to Williams, McLaren, and Aston Martin.
How long has Mercedes been supplying engines for Williams Racing?
Williams has been with F1 since 1977. Since then, they have won Championships in the 1980s and the 1990s. During the 80s, they were running the Honda engines and were also supplying McLaren. In the 90s, they stitched to Renault engines. This also saw a lot of success. Since then, they have not been able to win a Championship despite trying out multiple engines in their car.
The way it was 1993, Germany GP, Hockenheim, Frankfurt.
Mr Alain Prost with Williams FW15C Renault V10. pic.twitter.com/baWqTcTF9e— kaneko hiroshi (@kaneko928) January 9, 2024
During the 2012 and 2013 seasons, Williams ran the Renault engine once again, hoping that it would bring them success like before. However, they were not able to challenge for the Championship during those seasons. From the 2014 season, Williams decided to form a partnership with Mercedes after they showed potential in 2013. Since then, the team has stuck with Mercedes engines. However, they have not been able to win a single race with Mercedes engines.
Apart from Williams, Mercedes also supplies engines to McLaren and Aston Martin. However, from the 2026 season, a couple of these teams could stop buying engines from Mercedes. The 2026 season will bring a lot of changes to the engine. This has attracted some fresh suppliers to the market like Audi, Honda, and Ford so far.
Williams retains partnership with Mercedes until 2030
The contract Williams has with Mercedes will expire after the 2025 season. However, the team has decided to renew their contract until the 2030 season. Currently, Williams has a lot to work on as a team. They need to develop a proper chassis and work out the aerodynamics of the car.
In order to work through all this, they will need an engine supplier to provide reliable engines. Since Williams already has a good relationship with Mercedes, they can use that relationship to receive a reliable engine while the team focuses on other aspects of the car.
🚨 | Williams confirms they will be powered by Mercedes engines from 2026 onwards. pic.twitter.com/mL5Dnq2YWk
— formularacers (@formularacers_) January 8, 2024
The new Williams team boss has brought some significant changes to the team including appointing a new Technical Director. When we look at the decisions the team has made in the past year, we can see that they are on the right track. James Volwes will be looking to continue with this momentum to bring success to the team.