Actually Williams had it running and ready to go. Coulthard was the Williams test driver and it was ready to race. McLaren heard about it and complained to the FIA and it was banned before its first outing.
And it was QUICK!!! It allowed smoother acceleration out of corners which helped with traction and the engine was held at a constant RPM keeping it at max torque and increased engine life through reduced stresses.
So it was working an ready to go. Downside, it sounded crap! The engine was constantly one RPM level. So doing 50 or 150 it sounded the same.
I've driven my parents old A4 with a CVT. great for a cruiser, crap to go quick in. There was also always a slight delay when moving from a stand still as the CVT picked the right ratio for the situation. A pain when pulling out of an intersection.
I'll take a manual or as a second choice a manual DCT over a CVT.
7 an 8 speed autos are a pain to IMHO. Driven a 7 speed merc and it always felt like it was about to change again when you didn't want it to.