Williams Seeks High Court Ruling on Missing FW23 Formula 1 Car

Williams has approached London's High Court to recover a 2001 FW23 Formula 1 car that has been missing since it was loaned to a garage in 2015. The team is also seeking compensation exceeding £1 million.

The FW23, which was part of Williams's heritage collection, was used in 2001 by drivers Ralf Schumacher and Juan Pablo Montoya. Williams claims the car was loaned to Autotech Performance Ltd for display purposes, but the agreement was terminated in 2021 when the team attempted to retrieve it without success.

Following Autotech's liquidation, Williams is suing former director Peter Thorpe, alleging he removed the car during or after the liquidation process. Thorpe denies this, stating he is unaware of the car's location and claims it was still at the garage when he last visited in August 2021. The valuation of the car is also disputed, with Williams estimating it at £750,000, while Thorpe's defense argues it was a show car without an engine. The case is ongoing, and the current status of the car remains unclear.