The partnership between Bremont and Williams Racing as two distinguished British engineering businesses, both based in Oxfordshire, was always designed to see both firms collaborating on a deeper technical level. The crossover in manufacturing skills is substantial, not to mention the similarities in the complex CNC machinery used to very high tolerances.
Bremont is proud to build on its partnership in the 2023 season with its dedicated Bremont Williams Racing range of watches seen on the drivers’ wrists and relied upon for precision timekeeping by the wider team. With the season set to commence this weekend in Bahrain, here’s everything you need to know about the new FW45 and the drivers that will be putting it through its paces…
THE INSIDE TRACK: THE FW45
The FW45, which was rolled out on 13th February, is an evolution of the FW44 which was driven during the 2022 season.
The floor edges have been raised to satisfy the updated 2023 FIA Technical Regulations and the team has taken the opportunity to heavily evolve the sidepod concept, which has been made possible by optimising the power unit cooling layout.
There are also modifications to the front suspension layout as well as the major external aerodynamic surfaces.
As a result, the FW45 is more aerodynamically efficient than the FW44, with more overall downforce and improved handling characteristics.
The 2023 Pirelli tyres are an evolution of the 2022 version and the FW45 is optimised to the improved characteristics of the new tyres.
As Williams Racing continues its transformative new chapter, it welcomes James Vowles as Team Principal.
James joined on 20th February from Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team, bringing a wealth of experience and strategic capabilities that will lead the team and help push Williams Racing both on and off-track.
BEHIND THE VISOR: WHO IS ALEX ALBON?
Alex will return to the grid for his fourth season in Formula 1, continuing his role as driver with Williams Racing. During the 2022 season, Alex impressed the team with stand-out performances, including his debut points-scoring race in Melbourne, in addition to placing 9th in Miami and 10th in Belgium.
Born in London, the Thai-British racer began his motorsport journey at the age of eight when he stepped into the world of karting, with almost immediate success.
He became a multiple champion at both the British and European levels, including claiming the 2010 CIK-FIA World Cup in the KF3 category and winning the CIK-FIA European Championship that year, also in the KF3 category.
In 2012 he moved into single-seaters, spending several seasons competing in Formula Renault 2.0 with a best finish of third overall in the 2014 Eurocup category.
Next came the FIA Formula 3 European Championship in 2015, finishing seventh overall and stepping onto the podium five times.
Alex kept climbing the ladder at a rapid rate, moving into the GP3 Series the following year and narrowly missing out on the title, ending the year runner-up to Charles Leclerc with four wins and seven podium finishes.
Two consecutive years in FIA Formula 2 saw Alex claim third in the championship in 2018, only beaten by George Russell and Lando Norris.
That precipitated a move into Formula One with Alex drafted into Scuderia Toro Rosso for 2019.
A number of eye-catching performances saw him promoted to Red Bull Racing after just 12 races, where he remained for 2020 scoring two podium finishes and finishing the season seventh overall.
He would make history by becoming the first driver to secure a podium finish in Formula One whilst racing under the Thai flag.
Prior to joining Williams Racing, Alex spent 12 months as Test and Reserve Driver for Red Bull Racing, alongside the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM).
The DTM campaign provided a new challenge for Alex, one that he quickly adjusted to, finishing sixth in the overall standings with one win and four podium finishes to his name.
2022 saw Alex join Williams Racing and return to Formula One for his third season in the sport.
BEHIND THE VISOR: WHO IS LOGAN SARGEANT?
Logan’s career in motorsport began on the karting track, where he competed competitively from the age of eight. He quickly demonstrated his talent, winning the Karting Federation Junior championship in 2015, becoming the first American to win an FIA karting championship since 1978.
In 2016, Logan competed in the Formula 4 UAE Championship, securing second place overall by taking 15 podiums. The following year, the American joined Carlin Racing to run the F4 British Championship, finishing third and scoring two wins and 10 podiums along the way.
In 2018, Logan took on the Formula Renault Eurocup with R-ace GP, recording three wins and seven podiums to secure him fourth place in the championship.
2019 saw Logan return to Carlin for his rookie season of the FIA Formula 3 Championship, in which he scored points on four occasions. He also joined the British team for his debut of the Macau Grand Prix, successfully navigating the challenging circuit to finish third overall.
For the 2020 season, the young driver switched to Prema Racing, recording his first FIA F3 victory in the Feature Race at Silverstone, moving him into the lead of the notoriously competitive championship.
He secured his second win at the infamously challenging Spa-Francorchamps, winning the Sprint Race from third on the grid. Logan finished the year third overall, only missing out on the Championship title by four points.
In 2021, Logan joined Charouz Racing System, returning to FIA Formula 3 for a third season. He finished seventh in the Championship standings, securing one victory at Russia’s Sochi Autodrom.
Logan stepped up to FIA Formula 2 for the final three races of the 2021 season with HWA Racelab, before confirming a permanent seat in the sport for 2022 with Carlin.
Logan’s first full season in Formula 2 saw him celebrate victories at Silverstone and Spielberg, alongside further podium appearances in Barcelona and Baku. He would finish the season as the leading rookie in the series, finishing P4 in the standings and securing an FIA Super Licence.
Following the season finale in Abu Dhabi, it was confirmed that Logan Sargeant would race alongside Alex Albon in the 2023 FIA Formula 1 World Championship, becoming the first driver from the United States to compete in the series since 2015.
FROM THE WORKSHOP TO THE WRIST: THE BREMONT WILLIAMS RACING RANGE
The design of the WR-22 embodies Bremont’s maxim of being ‘Tested beyond Endurance’ bringing together high performance and extreme durability, a perfect fit for the Williams Racing team who will be putting the watch through its paces throughout the F1 calendar.
DISCOVER THE WILLIAMS RACING RANGE
The 43mm chronograph incorporates a bi-directional tachymeter, a must have for timing that running mile, and the dial configuration is wonderfully reminiscent of some of the classical motoring chronographs of old. Equally evocative are the 1970s inspired chronograph hands which hark back to the heyday of racing. The highly legible dial is accented by a red chronograph second hand and Super-LumiNova® filled applied indexes and hands ensure luminosity at night.
As Official Timing Partner to Williams Racing, Bremont sought to create a racing inspired watch that celebrated one of the most iconic teams in Formula 1 that’s still going today.
