Williams opt against Mercedes gearbox in 2019

Williams have decided not to take a Mercedes gearbox next season, as the British team is looking to switch things up after struggling massively in 2018 as they're dead-last in the constructors' championship.

Currently, Williams operate with their own gearbox, and one option would have been to extend their partnership with Mercedes beyond just the power-units. It's something that multiple teams already do, with Haas and Sauber driving with Ferrari-gearboxes and Force India having a unit from Mercedes.

Despite it being cheaper and allowing Williams to focus more on performance improvement, the team has decided to opt against the move.

“We are not taking the Mercedes gearbox," deputy team principal Claire Williams told Motorsport.

"There is no increased collaboration outside of the engine deal.

“We talked about it and explored the opportunity with Mercedes.

"And it didn’t make sense for us for a number of reasons.”