Williams misses first test week, leaving fan-designed livery in limbo
Williams has some serious explaining to do after pulling out of the first test week in Barcelona.
Fans and analysts alike want to know what caused the delay in getting their car ready for the new season. Even more pressing – how does the team plan to catch up after missing valuable track time?
But there’s another question nobody seems to be asking yet.
With much excitement, Williams had unveiled a special livery for the Barcelona tests – one created with input from thousands of fans around the world.
“Williams will start the year with a special, fan-designed livery that will be seen on the car during testing in Barcelona later this month. Fans from 162 countries cast nearly 55,000 votes for the unique design, which is part of Williams’ drive to bring fans closer to the team than ever before,” the team had proudly announced.
Now that special design might never see the light of day.
The original plan seemed to be using this one-off design in Barcelona before switching to their regular season livery at the official February 3 launch – the one Alexander Albon and Carlos Sainz would drive for the remainder of the 2024 season.
## Will fans get to see their design after all?
Getting their car on track is obviously Williams’ top priority right now, not worrying about special paint schemes.
Still, it would be nice if the team could find a way to use this fan-designed livery at some point during the season.
After all, thousands of supporters put real effort into creating something special for the team. They had no control over the Barcelona tests being canceled.
It would be a shame to let all that fan engagement go to waste.
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