Williams to design F2 cars

Williams are to design the new Formula Two car ahead of the return of the championship next season after a 24-year absence.

Jonathan Palmer, who won the penultimate F2 championship in 1983, has won the tender to supply chassis and engines via his company, MotorSport Vision (MSV).

MSV have commissioned Williams as designers for a car that will be built to Formula One level safety standards, and will incorporate a 1.8-litre Audi engine.

The first prototype car is scheduled for a test debut in November, with the 16-race, eight-event series to begin next May at a cost of no more than €250,000 per driver.

FIA president Max Mosley said: “The objective is to make top-level international single-seater racing available to drivers who at present have difficulty in raising enough money to demonstrate their talent.

“Formula One, and other major championships, will benefit by being able to draw on a far larger pool of drivers, while competitors from countries which do not yet have an established motor-racing structure will find it easier to make progress.

“We hope to reveal talent that might otherwise never have emerged, and we look forward to seeing drivers coming into Formula One with super licences gained in Formula Two.”

Palmer’s MSV organisation currently own and operate five circuits in the UK and has run the Formula Palmer Audi racing championship for the last 11 years.

MSV is also the commercial and organisational rights holder for the British Superbike Championship.