The Williams FW08 was a
Formula One
Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...
car designed by
Frank Dernie
Frank William Dernie (born 3 April 1950) to James Harold Dernie and Monica Dernie (née Pacey) is a veteran British Formula One engineer with extensive Formula One motorsport experience.
Career
Dernie was brought up in Lancashire and educated at ...
, which debuted at the
1982 Belgian Grand Prix
The 1982 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Zolder on 9 May 1982. It was the fifth round of the 1982 Formula One season.
Qualifying and death of Gilles Villeneuve
Canadian driver Gilles Villeneuve was killed in an accident ...
held at the
Zolder
The Circuit Zolder, also known as Circuit Terlamen, is an undulating motorsport race track in Heusden-Zolder, Belgium.
History
Built in 1963, Zolder hosted the Formula One Belgian Grand Prix on 10 separate occasions in the 1970s and 1980s, ...
circuit. An evolution of the
FW07 that it replaced, the car was used by
Finnish
Finnish may refer to:
* Something or someone from, or related to Finland
* Culture of Finland
* Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland
* Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people
* Finnish cuisine
See also ...
driver
Keke Rosberg
Keijo Erik Rosberg (born 6 December 1948), known as "Keke" (), is a Finnish former racing driver and winner of the Formula One World Championship. He was the first Finnish driver to compete regularly in the series, as well as the first Finnish ...
to win the
1982 World Drivers' Championship.
Overview
The FW08B was a six-wheeled (four driven wheels at the rear and two undriven wheels at the front) variant that originated from the
FW07D (also six-wheeled). It never raced. Patrick Head specifically said that the reason it was banned was because "someone in a FOCA meeting said it would drive up costs and cause chaos during pitstops". The FIA promptly limited the number of wheels for all cars to four, of which only two may be driven.
The FW08 was a development of the
Williams FW07
The Williams FW07 was a ground effect Formula One racing car designed by Patrick Head, Frank Dernie, and Neil Oatley for the 1979 F1 season.
Design
1979
It was closely based on the Lotus 79, even being developed in the same wind tunnel at ...
but featured a shorter wheelbase and much stiffer chassis to cope with the higher g-loading that the minimum ride height regulations introduced in 1981 demanded. While McLaren and others pioneered the use of carbon fibre chassis, Patrick Head stuck to aluminium honeycomb for the new car. The FW08 suited Keke Rosberg's aggressive driving style and he used it to good effect, winning the
1982 Swiss Grand Prix and scoring several other podium places to snatch the championship. Rosberg was on course to win in Belgium on the car's debut but tyre trouble caused him to drop back in the closing stages of the race. The FW08 was Frank Dernie's favourite car of all those he worked on during his time with the team.
During wind tunnel testing at Imperial College, Frank Dernie recorded that the FW08B had a
lift to drag ratio
In aerodynamics, the lift-to-drag ratio (or L/D ratio) is the lift generated by an aerodynamic body such as an aerofoil or aircraft, divided by the aerodynamic drag caused by moving through air. It describes the aerodynamic efficiency under give ...
of a remarkable 8:1 - eight parts downforce to just one part drag, giving the FW08 supreme aerodynamic efficiency and giving Keke Rosberg a chance to compete with the far more powerful turbo Renault and Ferrari during the 1982 season (the turbo runners of 1982 were producing at least 570 BHP at over 11,000 RPM in race trim, compared to the 515 BHP of the best Cosworth runners). During 1982 Keke Rosberg often qualified and raced without front wings as the downforce generated by the underbody Venturi tunnels was so huge that a front wing was not required. Removing the front wing meant better penetration through the air, thus giving the FW08 straightline speed which was regularly the best of a Cosworth DFV equipped runner and allowing Rosberg the opportunity of taking on the far more powerful turbos thanks to a combination of his driving skill and the lower weight of the FW08 compared to the heavy bulky turbo runners of 1982.
The car was updated for the
1983 Formula One season
The 1983 FIA Formula One World Championship was the 37th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1983 Formula One World Championship for Drivers and the 1983 Formula One World Championship for Constructors, which were conteste ...
to become the FW08C. Under new regulations all
ground effect was out and flat bottom cars were in, meaning nearly all the cars in Formula One had to be heavily modified or replaced and the FW08 was no different. Against the turbo cars of
Renault
Groupe Renault ( , , , also known as the Renault Group in English; legally Renault S.A.) is a French multinational automobile manufacturer established in 1899. The company produces a range of cars and vans, and in the past has manufacture ...
,
Brabham and
Ferrari, Williams were not expected to do as well as they did.
Jacques Laffite rejoined the team, having started his F1 career with
Frank Williams Racing Cars
Frank Williams Racing Cars was a British Formula One team and constructor.
Early years
Frank Williams had been a motor-racing enthusiast since a young age, and after a career in saloon cars and Formula Three, backed by Williams's shrewd i ...
back in 1974. Rosberg opened the season with pole position at the
Brazilian Grand Prix (the last for a Ford-Cosworth DFV powered car) and scored the car's last win, at the
1983 Monaco Grand Prix. He eventually finished fifth in the Drivers' Championship, while Williams finished the season in fourth place, the best of the Cosworth-powered cars.
The FW08C also has the distinction of being the first Formula One car ever driven by
Ayrton Senna
Ayrton Senna da Silva (; 21 March 1960 – 1 May 1994) was a Brazilian racing driver who won the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in , , and . Senna is one of three Formula One drivers from Brazil to win the World Championship and ...
, at
Donington Park in July 1983, after he badgered team boss Frank Williams for a test after being sat beside him on a flight. Senna completed 40 laps and lapped the circuit faster than anyone else had managed in the car, including 1983 race drivers Rosberg and Laffite. However, Williams team was not able to offer Senna a drive for as Rosberg and Laffite were under contract and the
Brazilian signed to the
Toleman
Toleman Motorsport was a Formula One constructor based in the UK. It was active between 1981 and 1985 and participated in 70 Grands Prix.
Origins
The Toleman company was formed in 1926 by Edward Toleman for the purpose of delivering Ford ...
team instead. Senna did not drive another Williams until he signed to drive for the team in .
![Williams FW08C Mont-Tremblant Esses](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/49/Williams_FW08C_Mont-Tremblant_Esses.JPG)
The FW08C was retired after the
1983 European Grand Prix at
Brands Hatch
Brands Hatch is a motor racing circuit in West Kingsdown, Kent, England, United Kingdom. Originally used as a grasstrack motorcycle circuit on farmland, it hosted 12 runnings of the British Grand Prix between 1964 and 1986 and currently host ...
. A third car was actually raced by the team at this race and was driven to 13th place by
Jonathan Palmer
Jonathan Charles Palmer (born 7 November 1956) is a British businessman and former Formula One racing driver. Before opting for a career in motor racing, Palmer trained as a physician at London's Guys Hospital. He also worked as a junior phys ...
. It was replaced by the
Honda
is a Japanese public multinational conglomerate manufacturer of automobiles, motorcycles, and power equipment, headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan.
Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, reaching a producti ...
powered
FW09 for the last race of the season in
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...
.
Early in 1983, Rosberg drove his FW08C to victory in the
Race of Champions
The Race of Champions (ROC) is an international motorsport event held at the end/start of each year, featuring some of the world's best racing and rally drivers. It is the only competition in the world where stars from Formula One, World Ral ...
at Brands Hatch. To date this is the last non-championship Formula One races to have been held.
In 1985 two FW08C were entered by PMC Motorsport in some races of the
Formula 3000 championship, driven by
Thierry Tassin and
Lamberto Leoni. The results achieved were unremarkable apart from
Lamberto Leoni's two third place finishes, in the
Pau street race and at the
Österreichring
The Red Bull Ring is a motorsport race track in Spielberg, Styria, Austria.
The race circuit was founded as Österreichring (translation: Austrian Circuit) and hosted the Austrian Grand Prix for 18 consecutive years, from to . It was later sho ...
.
Complete Formula One results
(
key) (results in bold indicate pole position)
* 14 points in scored using the FW07C* 2 points in scored by Honda
is a Japanese public multinational conglomerate manufacturer of automobiles, motorcycles, and power equipment, headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan.
Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, reaching a producti ...
turbo
In an internal combustion engine, a turbocharger (often called a turbo) is a forced induction device that is powered by the flow of exhaust gases. It uses this energy to compress the intake gas, forcing more air into the engine in order to pr ...
powered Williams FW09
References
Sources
*
*
{{Williams
Williams Formula One cars
1982 Formula One season cars
1983 Formula One season cars
Formula One championship-winning cars