After a low-key pre-season test in Bahrain, many expected the Grove-based side to be nailed down at the back, with a side that has impressed since last season. A big step forward.

Dave Robson, Williams’ head of vehicle performance, said much of the progress has come from work specifically addressing areas where it believes its FW44 will underperform in 2022.

Asked by Autosport if the team was surprised to be the second-biggest year-on-year winner, he said: “Obviously, I can’t speak for others, but I think we’ve made good progress because we know when FW44 will end. It was found to have some particular weaknesses.

“We’ve been working on these issues from last year to this year, and I think they’ve probably made reasonable gains in performance.

“I think we did see a lot in FW44, obviously bad at the beginning of the year, but it did get better. And I think we took another step forward at the beginning of the year.”

As well as the work on the FW45 throughout 2022 and throughout the winter, Williams has maintained a decent boost of upgrades, which contributed to a particularly strong speed performance in Australia last weekend.

One of the updates is very track-specific, while others form part of their ongoing development programme.

Williams FW45 front wing comparison

Photography: unconfirmed

Three races and three front wing flap solutions from Williams, the team replaced the upper element every race to find the right balance for the FW45 at every field it visited.

It’s a slight change that’s been made from race to race, but it’s clearly enough to tune the car according to decisions made at the rear in terms of downforce levels, as the team already has plenty of options in its kit.

According to the team, the latest flap configuration (bottom) is in the middle position used by Bahrain (top) and Saudi Arabia (middle), while also having the option to run with or without Gurney flaps.

The main difference is the height of the upper flap at the inboard end, while the camber of the wing may also differ in flap span.

Williams FW45 rear wing end plate wash shock

Photography: unconfirmed

At the rear of the car, meanwhile, the team has introduced a feature we’ve seen Aston Martin and Alpine deploy this season, as it adds an air bubble to the lower part of the rear wing endplate, creating a swaged Wire.

Like the previous regulation’s upwash shocks, this swage line will improve flow around the rear wing assembly, brake ducts and rear tires to enhance locally generated downforce.

Williams FW45 Single Element Spar Wing

Photography: unconfirmed

Williams also opted to run only single-spar wing elements in Melbourne, as a way to counteract the resulting downforce and drag.

It’s a similar strategy we’ve seen Red Bull employ throughout the course of these new regulations.

Williams FW45 brake calipers yellow

photographer: George Piola

Williams is also in the same camp as Red Bull and Aston Martin on the design of the front brake calipers this season, and the tube-fin design on its rival car also appears on the FW45.

It has fewer fins on the calipers, distributed to the front and rear of the assembly.

Meanwhile, a row of horizontal fins flanks the central channel, interrupted in the middle by a row of outlets that allow safe passage of the calipers to dissipate the heat generated by the brake discs.