GPRACING MARCH 2020 83
Ala n Jones.
KekeRosberg.
Nigel Mansell.
Juan Pablo Montoya.
Williamslovesahard-
chargingdriverand,after
ayearofflyingunderthe
radar,George Russell
(he’sabigMontoyafan,
bytheway)isdetermined
toentertheteam’s
pantheonofgo-getters...
WORDS
WORDSSTUART CODLING
PICTURESGLENN DUNBARMaster
ofthehouse
Russell poses with the race-winning Williams
FW25, a car that was campaignedby one of his
favourite drivers, JuanPablo Montoyailliams likes to keep its past tidily
separated from its present. Past glories –
plus a few historic mis-steps – live in
the Conference Centre, a short walk
from the bustling hive of industry that is
the Formula 1 facility. Once a factory itself, home tothe
touring car and sportscar programmes of the late 1990s,
it now serves as a peaceful repose for engineering marvels,
including a Le Mans 24 Hourswinner aswell as several
championship-winning F1 cars.
The exhibit George Russell makes a beeline for, though,
contains a spread of close-but-no-cigar machinery
from the early 2000s, a period of hairy-chested V10-
powered ground-pounders tamed only occasionally by
traction control. Guided by Juan Pablo Montoya and Ralf
Schumacher, the Williams-BMWs of the day came up short
against the might of Michael Schumacher and Ferrari.
While the racing was one-sided, several lap records still
stand from 2004, the peak of the screaming V10 era.
Like most drivers of his age, Russell regards Michael as
indubitably the greatest of all time, but he cites Montoya
among his favourites – so much so that when the current
crop of drivers was invited to adopt special helmet designs
to mark F1’s 1000th world championship grand prixWILLIAMS
GPRACING MARCH 2020 83
Ala n Jones.
KekeRosberg.
Nigel Mansell.
JuanPablo Montoya.
Williamslovesahard-
chargingdriverand,after
ayearofflyingunderthe
radar,George Russell
(he’sabigMontoyafan,
bytheway)isdetermined
toentertheteam’s
pantheonofgo-getters...
WORDS
WORDSSTUART CODLING
PICTURESGLENN DUNBARMaster
ofthehouse
Russell poses with the race-winning Williams
FW25, a car that was campaignedby one of his
favourite drivers, JuanPablo Montoyailliams likes to keep its past tidily
separated from its present. Past glories –
plus a few historic mis-steps – live in
the Conference Centre, a short walk
from the bustling hive of industry that is
the Formula 1 facility. Once a factory itself, home tothe
touring car and sportscar programmes of the late 1990s,
it now serves as a peaceful repose for engineering marvels,
including a Le Mans 24 Hourswinner aswell as several
championship-winning F1 cars.
The exhibit George Russell makes a beeline for, though,
contains a spread of close-but-no-cigar machinery
from the early 2000s, a period of hairy-chested V10-
powered ground-pounders tamed only occasionally by
traction control. Guided by Juan Pablo Montoya and Ralf
Schumacher, the Williams-BMWs of the day came up short
against the might of Michael Schumacher and Ferrari.
While the racing was one-sided, several lap records still
stand from 2004, the peak of the screaming V10 era.
Like most drivers of his age, Russell regards Michael as
indubitably the greatest of all time, but he cites Montoya
among his favourites – so much so that when the current
crop of drivers was invited to adopt special helmet designs
to mark F1’s 1000th world championship grand prixWILLIAMS