Williams extends Mercedes PU partnership until 2025

Williams has extended its power unit partnership with Mercedes until the end of the 2025 season.

Mercedes has supplied power units to Williams since the start of the V6 turbo era, with the team using the engine’s early advantage to finish third in the constructors’ championship in 2014 and 2015. Back-to-back fifth places followed before the team slipped to last in the standings in 2018, and it remains at the bottom this year but deputy team principal Claire Williams is confident the Mercedes power unit package remains the best option as it extends its deal for another five years.

“We have enjoyed a wonderful partnership with Mercedes-Benz over the past six years of what was originally a seven-year agreement, and so we are delighted to be continuing working with them for a further five years from 2021,” Williams said.

“Mercedes-Benz has been one of the sport’s most successful engine suppliers and we believe that they will continue to have an extremely competitive engine package going forwards. Over our time with them they have become a real friend of the team, and we look forward to working with Mercedes-AMG HPP in future.”

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Williams will continue to manufacture its own transmission, and despite recent performances, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff says the future is looking better for midfield teams as F1 is set to bring in a budget cap in 2021.

“Williams is one of the iconic brands in Formula 1 and we at Mercedes are proud to count them as part of our motorsport family,” Wolff said. “They have been through some tough times recently but that has only served to demonstrate their resilience and strength of character as they battle back to where they belong on the grid.

“I am certain that the outlook for independent teams is bright under the financial regulations that will be introduced from 2021 and we are delighted to continue our partnership with Williams into that new era of our sport.”

Aside from race-hosting contracts and sponsorship deals, the partnership is the fourth to be confirmed beyond the current commercial agreements that expire at the end of next year, after Pirelli’s new tire contract, as well as Sergio Perez committing to Racing Point and Esteban Ocon at Renault beyond that point.