2009 was a busy year for the Williams F1 team, almost as busy off track as it was on. The start of the season saw Williams caught in the middle of a "diffuser row". In May the team managed to get themselves expelled from the Formula One Teams Association, for a full four months and to close the year off, they dropped both drivers and their engine partner.

It seems no F1 season is complete without a "Williams are Struggling to Survive" headline to round the year off, and given all that has happened, plus the fact Royal Bank of Scotland announced it would end its partnership with the team after 2010, the story almost writes itself.

Except this year is different. The past 12 months have seen no less than three well-heeled manufacturer teams exit the sport, whilst the boys and girls from Oxford remain steadfast and strong. New smaller teams are entering the sport (or at least they're trying) and they likely have less money to throw around than anyone. In the meantime Williams appears to be siding with both the sport's commercial rights holder CVC and the sport's governing body the FIA. I don't believe anyone from the headquarters in Grove ever sent out a press release confirming the re-admittance to FOTA, while the decision to select independent Cosworth power over a Toyota engine won't have hurt their cause in any way.

It has been pointed out several times this year, that Williams are a team who solely exist to race. In fact the team's own facts and stats page quotes this very mantra and they're rightly proud of it. They don't have tins of energy drink to shift, neither do they have a range of high-performance vehicles to promote. They race in Formula One and that is pretty much all they do.

Admittedly there was the small matter of designing an F2 car for the FIA's (them again) pet feeder series project but everything else is essentially Formula One related. Or is it?

I get the impression Sir Frank may have taken a longing look over at the success of the McLaren Group. An F1 team that expanded its horizons to include catering, marketing, technology, and who recently spun out the automotive arm to launch their own range of elite road cars. McLaren once solely existed to race too.

Williams Hybrid Power, the recently rebranded energy storage technology company looks for all the world like it has ambitions beyond Formula One. Let's be honest, if you looked at the backwards way KERS was implemented in the sport, you'd have to have bigger aspirations than that. A couple of weeks back Williams also announced a deal with Qatar Science and Technology Park, and this project has plans to extend current research even further. I believe if you look closely the press release mentions "road cars" too.

At some point the FIA may decide that F1 needs a standardised KERS system, and it would be quite handy if there were a team out there with readymade flywheel system (arguably the more ecologically sound solution), who also had experience with a Cosworth engine. Additionally, it's worth keeping in mind that McLaren's exclusive standard engine control unit deal expires at the end of 2010. Given the success of the system, it makes sense that the SECU concept be retained beyond 2010, but one wonders if a new tender will be put out to interested parties? Integration with a standard KERS system might reduce costs considerably.

Clearly all of the above is nothing more than pure speculation, but it's worth keeping in mind that next year Williams likely won't be the only team existing solely to race. There will be smaller and more needy teams present too. Is it time for Williams to step up and break out beyond Formula 1? I think the F2 project went too well to waste that amount of talent on Formula One.

It's Halloween!! Well, it will be at this time tonight. Are you going to any parties? Dressing up? Or simply eating a lot of sweets? I know what sounds good to me. I carved a pumpkin once and it was gross. Anyway, here are some F1 things to discuss:

• Williams confirmed they would be running Cosworth engines yesterday, which is something we had suspected for a long time. On the one hand, we were surprised as Mr Williams has said previously that Cosworth aren't his favourites, but on the other hand, he seems to know what he's doing. So, we'll wait and see.
• Did anyone else see the free practice sessions that I saw yesterday? The track in Abu Dhabi is interesting and looks good under lights, but there wasn't much to talk about on track, and none of the drivers seemed that perplexed despite being faced with a brand new circuit. I'm hoping today will offer a little bit more.
• Autosport reports that Bruno Senna has as good as signed a deal with Campos META (don't forget the META) which means he has a seat for next year. He was so often rumoured with Honda that their demise can't have done his chances any good. However, this new development means some more fresh blood into the season in 2010.

That'll do it for now. We'll be back with live commenting threads and podcasts throughout the day (am running slightly late on the FP Digest), and we look forward to seeing you there. I'll see you in the comments.

This afternoon the AT&T Williams team officially announced a long-term engine partnership with the engineering company Cosworth. The move had been expected since the team parted ways with Toyota back in October.

Frank Williams, Team Principal said of the change:

"Cosworth have impressed us with the quality of their technical team and convinced us that their programme will deliver a competitive Formula One engine. In addition, like Williams, Cosworth is an independent company whose owners share our passion for racing and engineering. We believe that, working together, we will develop not only a competitive racing car for 2010 but also a long-term partnership that can take on the best in Formula One."

While Kevin Kalkhoven, a one time part owner of the Champ Car World Series, and now a Cosworth investor, added:

"I am very pleased to see Cosworth engaging with like-minded companies in the development of high-technology solutions. Formula One is a great opportunity to showcase technical capabilities that can, with proper application, solve current and emerging challenges in the wider world."

The Williams team last ran a Cosworth engine in 2006.

Roll on Tuesday then, and it appears that yesterday I missed the opportunity to wish Heikki Kovalainen a happy birthday. I must say a belated Happy Birthday, then, and also a #sorryAmy. Meanwhile, here's what we're talking about:

• Williams have confirmed Cosworth engines, which is pretty much what we were expecting. The only real engine question mark now is how good they will be. They must be somewhat good for Frank to return to them, mustn't they?
• Button has revealed that he actually spent his celebratory evening alone in his hotel room, just grinning to himself. I can totally understand that! I imagine that he had completely lost his voice by that time anyway.
• Trulli still maintains that Sutil was in the wrong in their Brazil incident. Despite the fact he has been fined over his conduct once getting out of the car, Trulli doesn't seem to be in a hurry to settle the argument yet.

That'll do for now, I think. I notice in the comments, people have been busy compiling a list of 100 Reasons why Button is a Great WDC. Go and add yours now, and I'll see you in the comments.

• Length: 4:14 
• Size: 3.9 MB 
• File: forgotten10.mp3 
• Transcript: forgotten10.pdf 

This is the third episode of Forgotten F1 Teams – a miniseries brought to you by Sidepodcast. In these episodes we are looking at teams who aren’t racing anymore, but should be remembered, either for doing very well, or maybe floundering a little bit. Today, we’re looking at Shadow Racing.

The company behind Shadow Racing was founded by Don Nichols, a mysterious man with an unknown background. He set up his base in America and called the company Advanced Vehicle Systems. They produced a car and called it Shadow, ready to race in the CanAm series. At the end of 1972, Nichols confirmed they would be making the step up to Formula One the next season, with major sponsorship from Universal Oil Products - UOP.

The team made their debut at the South African Grand Prix, with Jackie Oliver and George Follmer – two drivers brought along from the CanAm team. They also supplied a car to Graham Hill, who was racing under his own Embassy Hill brand. Results were mixed. Follmer had a great start to the season, on the podium at the team’s second race. Oliver struggled with retirements until the penultimate round, where he equalled Follmer’s third.

1974 was a difficult year for the team. Peter Revson and Jean-Pierre Jarier were in the driving seats, but retired from the first two races. In practice for the next South Africa Grand Prix, Revson was killed when his car suffered suspension failure and crashed. The team withdrew from the weekend. After a couple of driver changes, Tom Pryce was drafted in to replace Revson. Once again, a third place was the highlight of the season, this time in Austria.

A new year, and some continuity with their drivers, Shadow introduced the DN5 chassis with a new Cosworth engine. The new car helped Tom Pryce win the Race of Champions, whilst Jarier secured pole position at the first two Grands Prix, although he finished neither of them. Midway through the year, the DN7 was brought in with a Matra engine. There doesn’t seem to have been a DN6. It was raced for only a couple of weekends, before Matra chose another team to partner. Shadow finished 6^th in the championship, which was to be their highest position.

The beginning of the next season saw UOP pull their sponsorship from the team, leaving Shadow with very little money to pour into development. The results suffered, with just one podium and a couple of points finishes seeing them 10^th in the constructors at the end of the year. Jarier left the team after the season ended.

1977 was another turbulent year. Once again the South African Grand Prix saw tragedy, as Tom Pryce was fatally injured in a terrible collision that also claimed the life of a marshal. One car had stopped out on track and caught fire, and as two marshals ran across with fire extinguishers, Pryce came upon the incident unsighted. The accident rocked the team, but they weren’t about to give up.

Alan Jones was brought in to replace Pryce, and the team’s results began to pick up. Jones scored an unexpected win at the Austrian GP, so unexpected that organisers didn’t have the Australian national anthem ready for him. Jones also picked up a third place before the season was over. It was the second car that let the team down that year with no less than five drivers having a go, between them only scoring two sixth places.

At the end of the year, Jones left to join Williams, and quite a lot of the staff formed their own team in the shape of Arrows. The newly formed Arrows team were actually sued by Shadow for copying their chassis, and when the claim was upheld, Arrows had to design their own model.

This may have been a blessing in disguise for Arrows, though, as results for Shadow Racing were now few and far between. 1979 saw the team use the exact same chassis as the previous year, and by 1980, the team were slipping backwards fast. After several races saw the team fail to qualify, Nichols put a halt to proceedings and shut the team down. He sold the assets to what would become Theodore Racing.

That’s all for this episode. Let me know your thoughts about this team, and about the series by visiting sidepodcast.com or by calling the voicemail on 0121 28 87225. I will be back tomorrow with the fourth instalment of Forgotten F1 Teams.

Theme music: Bloc Party, I Still Remember.

James Allen is reporting that the new team on the grid for next year will be Lotus. We already knew it would be one of three possibilities, but the FIA have made their decision and picked the Lotus F1 team

Things of note:

• The team will be using Cosworth engines.
• Mike Gascoyne will be the team's technical director.
• The FIA highly regarded the Team Formerly Known As BMW's entry but were still worried about their uncertain future.

Additionally Reuters have noted that the Malaysian government are pleased to announce that, "The cars will be made in Malaysia, by Malaysians." and that a manufacturing and technical centre will be purpose built at Malaysia's Sepang International Circuit.

Update: In a somewhat related story, AP are reporting that BMW have miraculously managed to find a buyer this morning. The name behind the purchase are the Swiss-based Qadbak Investments.

It's not yet clear whether this means we will see a 28 car grid in 2010 or if entry is conditional on another team exiting the sport.

This summer break has yet to be the peaceful few weeks off we desired, and now the FIA have thrown another interesting piece of news into the melting pot.

Following BMWs failure to meet the deadline to sign the Concorde Agreement, the FIA have opened up the selection process for new teams to fill the empty space in the paddock. AUTOSPORT reports that Max Mosley wrote to the seven reserve teams to let them know a place had become available.

I understand the need to do this, although it seems really close to the deadline, and quite harsh on BMW. They only just missed it, and are working really hard to try and find a solution to their withdrawal. Well, it seems as though Peter Sauber is, anyway. He is the only one making noises from the Hinwil camp, and it's not looking good for them. If the entry goes to one of the reserve teams, which it is likely to do, they may already have an infrastructure in place for producing their F1 car, leaving one massive factory in the middle of Switzerland with very little purpose.

Meanwhile, who would take up this final place for 2010? I wonder if the seven teams in reserve are still happy about joining the sport, what with the legal concerns over Mosley allegedly stipulating Cosworth as a partner. That being the case, it seems odd that the FIA would want to open this can of worms again, as they haven't sorted out the complaints from the last selection process yet. Perhaps they intend to choose a team without a Cosworth engine at the helm, which would essentially exonerate them from these claims. Except, manufacturers are only supposed to supply a couple of teams, and Cosworth have three signed up already. Which other manufacturers are ready to supply an engine?

This opens up many questions, and yet another deadline (not yet known). Will the team formerly known as BMW be ready in time to submit an application? Would they be selected above the others? Who else is still realistically in the running and what engine will they use?

• Length: 46:01 
• Size: 42.9 MB 
• File: aside9.mp3 
• Transcript: Coming soon 

Joe discusses all the latest F1 news, this time from London.

Prior to the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend, topics under discussion include the future of racing circuits and those in charge of promoting them, as well as governance of the sport and those that wish to govern it.

Race action sees some coverage too, as drivers, strategies and expectations for the coming days get the once over, before talk turns to the words and pictures that make up a Joe's GP weekend.

All of this and much, much more in this episode of An Aside With Joe.

Linkage

• Subscribe to Grand Prix+ Magazine
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• The Business of Motorsport Newsletter
• The Paddock Magazine
• Follow Joe on Twitter
• The Cahier Archive

Apparently it is rat-catcher's day today, which is not a pleasant thought to start the day with, but it does commemorate the Pied Piper of Hamelin, which makes it slightly better. Wikipedia says it is just like Secretary's Day, but presumably with more rats. Anyway, here is what's happening in F1 at the moment:

• Cosworth believe they will be able to make their engines competitive despite turning down the option to increase the rev count to 20,000rpm. They also say that for now, keeping eight engines a season is a good idea, even if the option is there to reduce that further in the future.
• On the subject of the future, Mario Theissen thinks the teams want to discuss the calendar with Bernie, as they are worried about losing out on important markets. The US is already missing, and Germany could soon drop off the calendar as well. Will Bernie be open to suggestions though?
• Finally, don't forget about Sidepodradio. You can catch up on the idea here, but if you've signed up for a show already, how are you getting on? Need any help from us? Don't forget to let us know what you need, and if you want audience participation, we can create a page for you on the wiki.

That'll do it for now. It's the middle of the week now, which is always good, plodding along nicely towards the weekend. I'll see you in the comments.

This article was originally written for BellaOnline, but is republished here for posterity.

With Honda's sudden announcement that they are leaving Formula 1 with immediate effect, FIA president Max Mosley has taken the opportunity to announce some more details regarding the proposed standard engines scheme.

We already knew that the FIA had opened the tender for engine manufacturer's to bid their services to create the standard design, and it has now been revealed that Cosworth won the tender. The FIA will work exclusively with Cosworth on the engines that are to be brought in for the 2010 season.

We also know more about how the regulations will work. Initially there was concern that given the choice of creating an engine from standard blueprints or simply buying one from the supplier, most teams would opt not to do so. I couldn't see a reason why Ferrari would want to use a Cosworth engine, for example. However, Mosley has clarified parts of this for us.

Now, it seems that those two choices still exist - build an engine that meets the designs, or buy one - but there is a third option. Teams can continue to build their own engine, presumably meeting some quite strict limitations. I can honestly say I haven't got this new regulation clear in my head completely yet, but it seems as though relaxing the rules slightly is the right thing to.

Mosley has timed the announcement perfectly, using Honda's withdrawal as a great example that Formula 1 needs to really start cutting costs as soon as possible. This new tweak to the regulation means that budgets will be smaller, and independent teams will be able to afford to race, but it also means the manufacturer's are not alienated. A lot of F1 purists don't approve of the way the manufacturer's have taken over the sport, but they have been holding it together recently, and now it may be that we see the independent teams on the way back up.

The one thing this new rule doesn't account for, is teams that already have engine partners. Williams and Toyota, for instance, will presumably no longer do business with each other, as they will be buying a Cosworth engine instead. There are still many questions to be asked before the 2010 season, but at least there's plenty of time for more clarification.