Williams Racing have now been in Formula One for 40 years and are very much synonymous with the sports heritage.
Despite not having enjoyed as much success as they did in the 1980s and 1990s, Williams are continuing to rebuild themselves for the future, but can they return to winning ways?
In recent years the Grove-based squad have achieved better results higher up the grid from what had been their worst performance slump in their history.
Notable progression has been made with the help chief technical officer Pat Symonds, a customer supply deal for Mercedes power units, title sponsorship from the iconic Martini brand and the driving expertise of Felipe Massa along with the highly rated Valtteri Bottas.
Finishing third in the Constructors’ championship in 2014 and 2015 was a tremendous achievement compared to the ninth place finish in 2013.
While 2016 was a much tougher year in terms of results on the track, in the background the continued development of a base for future success continues.
In September, Williams Grand Prix Holdings PLC announced that for the first six months of 2016 group revenue grew to £80m for the period, compared to £63.1m in the same period in 2015.
Mike O’Driscoll, Group Chief Executive Officer, said: “These financial results show strong progress across the Williams Group and continue to validate the approaches we have taken to achieve our core long-term objectives of building a championship-contending Formula One team and profitable advanced engineering business.”
The continued hurdles towards the front of the grid are almost never ending. The start of 2017 and beyond presents more challenges for the team, Pat Symonds has left his role within the team leaving a gap that needs to be filled quickly, likely by Mercedes’ technical team boss Paddy Lowe.
The driving side has already been taken care of, young Euro F3 champion Lance Stroll has been brought into the team with what is also believed to be a huge cash injection for his duties by his father, fashion entrepreneur Lawrence Stroll, with the sums involved rumoured be believed to be close to $80m for the duration of Stroll’s current contract.
It is unknown who will partner the young Canadian following the shocking turn of events in the days after the 2016 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix finale. World champion Nico Rosberg’s decision to announce his retirement from the sport has since seen numerous reports claiming Mercedes want Bottas as their replacement driver alongside Lewis Hamilton.
Indeed, talks were confirmed by Williams and are ongoing with former two-time champion Mika Hakkinen giving his support to his fellow countryman.
It has also been speculated that Felipe Massa could be willing to forgo his retirement by a year and return to Williams, allowing them to search for a long-term driver to fill the void.
With Williams doing well financially, further investment in the design team could be their next move, especially if Lowe is to make a return. Even with Mercedes power units in the cars they still lost out to Force India in 2016 and finished in fifth in the constructors.
Early attention on the new regulations was partly to blame, as the team switched focus onto 2017 very early on, but they were still lost ground on their rivals ahead.
Even despite finishing on the podium in Canada, Bottas was still 41 seconds behind Vettel in second place come the chequered flag and that was on a circuit that suits Williams main strength of straight-line speed.
If the team can get a handle on the 2017 regulations well enough to be competitive throughout the upcoming season, with further investment, Williams can continue to their path towards the front of the grid.
Despite having only won one race since Juan Pablo Montoya’s victory in the 2004 Brazilian Grand Prix, Williams is a team that don’t back down and never give up. Their recent struggles have been well documented but they are now in a place where they can really grow and thrive.
There is no quick path to success and they are living proof of that, yet they appear to be on the right trajectory. Results on the track may not show it but, behind the scenes, Williams are pushing harder than ever to make sure they can win championships once more.
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