Williams F1

Everything seems so familiar: a wet Silverstone, the blue, white and yellow helmet colours and the Rosberg name on the headrest of the 1982 World Championship-winning Williams-Cosworth FW08. But this isn’t Keke Rosberg about to be reunited with his title-winning car; it’s his son Nico who’s about to drive the FW08 for the first time.

Guests at the 2009 AT&T Williams Partner Day surround the car while Nico is strapped into the unfamiliar cockpit. The starter motor then whirrs into action at the back of the car and moments later the 450bhp Cosworth DFV roars into life. Nico feathers the throttle a handful of times, selects first gear and pulls slowly into the streaming wet Silverstone pitlane. A small opposite lock correction as he accelerates away from the hoards reminds us of his peerless racing lineage.

After four flying laps of the Silverstone National Circuit, Nico returns to the pitlane and jumps out. “That’s a real racing car,” he says, beaming a wide smile. “It’s a real privilege to drive the car, which has been beautifully maintained by the guys at Williams F1. It’s amazing how technology has progressed because it feels much slower than one of today’s cars.”

Guests hang off Nico’s every word at the back of the pit garage, but this is only one of many highlights during the partner day on 02 September. More than 330 people from AT&T, Philips, Allianz, Accenture, Thomson Reuters and PPG have come to Silverstone to get underneath the skin of AT&T Williams.

The on-track action has a historical flavour to it because Formula One’s in-season testing ban this year prevents the team from running its current FW31. So, as well as the FW08, there is Damon Hill’s 1996 Championship-winning FW18 on hand and an FW29 from 2007. Driving duties are shared between the team’s race drivers Rosberg and Kazuki Nakajima and the team’s test driver, Nico Hulkenberg.

In a garage adjacent to these multi-million dollar machines is a selection of games and activities for the guests, which include F1 simulators and a spare chassis on which to practise tyre changes. There are bus rides around the circuit and to make the day as memorable as possible, the Army Air Corps Display Team – who are sponsored by AT&T Williams sponsor Oris – gets airborne just after lunch to give a mesmerising demonstration of their AH64-Apache and AH7 Lynx helicopters.

“It costs about £90m per annum for AT&T Williams to go racing each year,” says team principal Frank Williams in a speech to the guests. “Without the support of our sponsors we wouldn’t be here, so each and every person here today is very valuable to us, and giving value for money is fundamental to this team. I hope you feel that you are getting that today.”

When not in the cars, the drivers mill about among the guests answering questions and signing autographs. There is none of the pressure of a normal test day, which gives the day a relaxed feel, and the drivers revel in the chance to drive the historic cars, even if each one is limited to just 50kms.

“It’s fantastic to drive Damon’s old car,” says Nico. “We had a slight problem this morning when the fire extinguisher went off in my face, but other than that it’s run perfectly. It’s interesting to drive such an iconic car and it’s actually quite similar to today’s cars, except for the driving position. You’re lying down and I can’t believe that you can attack in that position.”

The FW29 was the car in which Kazuki made his grand prix debut at the Brazilian Grand Prix in 2007, so for him it felt like being reunited with an old friend. “Although it’s only two years old, it feels quite different to today’s cars,” Kazuki says, “but I’ll always like this car because it’s the one in which I drove my first race.”

Hulkenberg drove the FW08 at the Goodwood Festival of Speed earlier this year, so he’s familiar with its controls. It’s also the only chassis present that can accommodate his 1.85m frame. “It’s good fun to drive this special car,” says the Hulk, “although it’s probably slower than my GP2 car, which feels a bit strange. It’s a pity the track’s wet because I’d like to see how the car handles in the dry.”

The poor weather doesn’t matter a jot to the guests, for whom the opportunity to meet the team’s three drivers and Frank Williams, and to watch two world title-winning cars in action, is a unique experience. At the end of the day, the only thing on everyone’s lips (apart from the scones and jam) was the question “can the partner day happen again in 2010”? What do you think, Frank?