Eddie Jordan tells Williams they must do two things to become a front-running F1 team again

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When Williams announced they signed Carlos Sainz for 2025, it gave weight to some of their big plans for the future.

Williams has been a stalwart in F1 for the last five decades but in recent years a lack of funding and aging facilities has forced them to drop behind rivals.

Their highest finishing position in the Constructors’ Championship in the last 10 years was third in 2015, but their form dropped to as low as 10th in the 2022 season.

Things improved slightly last year with a seventh-place finish and now they are trying to equalise that result in the fight with Haas, having outscored them at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Team principal James Vowles has shown the revitalised team leadership that has been desperately needed, having successfully lobbied to increase the capital expenditure allowance which enables Williams to reinvest in its facilities.

Discussing which teams they think can become race winners in this new cost cap era of F1 on the Formula for Success podcast, ex-F1 team boss Eddie Jordan has revealed two reasons why he thinks Williams can become race winners again.

Eddie Jordan thinks Williams needs more funding to win races again

Williams was taken over by American private investment firm, Dorlton Capital, midway through the 2020 season and the team had grand visions to improve their form.

Despite reinvesting in the team and bringing in enough financial backing to enable Williams to upgrade their facilities to put them on par with teams higher up the grid including Mercedes and Red Bull.

Jordan believes they need further investment to enable them to target at least the top five in the championship and work upwards.

“These new teams don’t have a chance, but are you telling me that Haas could turn up and win a race tomorrow? The answer is no. The situation is that it is very sad,” said Jordan.

“The only one I see in that group which has a massive history is Williams. But they need more funding, they need more people, and I think this is their best chance for a long time. Albon and Sainz will be a strong lineup and they need to target the top five. If they can, then they can look at podiums.”

Williams turn around fortunes after ‘shocking’ winter break

Williams was one of the last teams in 2024 to reveal their car before pre-season testing in Bahrain owing to the ‘shocking’ state of their facilities.

This was largely because they had yet to finish the FW46 in time for their February reveal, as Vowles decided it was necessary to overhaul the team’s working processes after learning that the team used Microsoft Excel to organise the development of their cars.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Williams Racing from team principal to Mercedes relationship

The transition to a new digital system predictably delayed things and had knock-on effects early in the season, notably when Albon crashed during the Australian GP weekend and Logan Sargeant was forced to give up his car for the remainder of the weekend due to lack of spare parts.

Their fortunes improved as the season progressed with points finishes at Monaco, Silverstone, and two of the last three Grands Prix.