Category | Formula One | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Constructor | Williams (chassis, transmission) Renault Sport (engine) | ||||||||
Designer(s) | Patrick Head (Technical Director) Adrian Newey (Chief Designer) Eghbal Hamidy (Chief Aerodynamicist) Bernard Dudot (Chief Engine Designer (Renault)) | ||||||||
Predecessor | FW16 | ||||||||
Successor | FW18 | ||||||||
Technical specifications [1] [2] | |||||||||
Chassis | Carbon fibre and Kevlar monocoque | ||||||||
Suspension (front) | pushrod, bellcrank, torsion spring | ||||||||
Suspension (rear) | pushrod, bellcrank, torsion spring | ||||||||
Engine | Renault RS7, 2,992 cc (182.6 cu in), V10 (67°) NA mid-engine, longitudinally-mounted | ||||||||
Transmission | Williams transverse 6-speed semi-automatic | ||||||||
Power | 675–700 bhp (503–522 kW; 684–710 PS) @ 15,200-15,600 rpm [3] | ||||||||
Fuel | Elf | ||||||||
Tyres | Goodyear | ||||||||
Competition history | |||||||||
Notable entrants | Rothmans Williams Renault | ||||||||
Notable drivers | 5. Damon Hill 6. David Coulthard | ||||||||
Debut | 1995 Brazilian Grand Prix | ||||||||
First win | 1995 Argentine Grand Prix | ||||||||
Last win | 1995 Australian Grand Prix | ||||||||
Last event | 1995 Australian Grand Prix | ||||||||
| |||||||||
Constructors' Championships | 0 | ||||||||
Drivers' Championships | 0 |
The Williams FW17 is a Formula One racing car designed by Adrian Newey, with which the Williams team competed in the 1995 Formula One World Championship. It was driven by Damon Hill, who was in his third year with the team, and David Coulthard, who was in his first full season after a part-time role in 1994.
With what was regarded as the best chassis and aerodynamics in the field combined with the best engine, [4] the 1995 season was disappointing for the team, who were beaten to both titles by Michael Schumacher and Benetton. Although the FW17 was superior in qualifying trim, taking 12 pole positions, Schumacher was usually more competitive on race day. The Benetton team arguably made better strategy decisions during races and Schumacher was able to win nine races against Hill and Coulthard's combined total of five. This situation was not helped by both drivers making several unfortunate errors during the course of the season.
For qualifying at the Portuguese Grand Prix, the Williams FW17B was debuted, although not used for the race itself. [5] In the final four races of the season, the FW17B took four pole positions and two victories, but the titles were already just about out of reach due to the success of Schumacher and his Benetton B195.
The team eventually finished second in the Constructors' Championship, with 112 points; both Williams and Benetton had their constructor's points deducted from the Brazilian Grand Prix (6 and 10 points respectively) following an appeal that saw both teams' fuel-related disqualifications overturned from race standings.
The FW17 is notable for being the first Williams car to race with a raised nose, and was the first 'clean sheet' design from the team since 1991 (as the car's two predecessors had been evolutions of the FW14), owing to the new technical regulations for the 1995 season.
During an interview with Top Gear in 2012, Coulthard spoke positively about the FW17, saying that it was his favourite out of the cars he had driven in his career. [6]
(key) (results in bold indicate pole position)
Year | Team | Chassis | Engine | Tyres | Drivers | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | Pts. | WCC |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1995 | Rothmans Williams Renault | Renault RS7 V10 | G | BRA | ARG | SMR | ESP | MON | CAN | FRA | GBR | GER | HUN | BEL | ITA | POR | EUR | PAC | JPN | AUS | 112 | 2nd | ||
FW17 | Damon Hill | Ret | 1 | 1 | 4 | 2 | Ret | 2 | Ret | Ret | 1 | 2 | Ret | 3 | ||||||||||
FW17B | Ret | 3 | Ret | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||
FW17 | David Coulthard | 2 ^ | Ret | 4 | Ret | Ret | Ret | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | Ret | Ret | 1 | ||||||||||
FW17B | 3 | 2 | Ret | Ret |
^ – Coulthard's second place at the Brazilian Grand Prix did not count towards Constructors' Championship points as the FIA did not reinstate the constructor's points after the initial disqualification due to fuel irregularities was overturned.
Benetton Formula Ltd., commonly referred to simply as Benetton, was a Formula One constructor that participated from 1986 to 2001. The team was owned by the Benetton family who run a worldwide chain of clothing stores of the same name. In 2000, the team was purchased by Renault, but competed as Benetton for the 2000 and 2001 seasons. In 2002, the team became Renault. The Benetton Formula team was chaired by Alessandro Benetton from 1988 to 1998.
The 1993 French Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Magny-Cours on 4 July 1993. It was the eighth race of the 1993 Formula One World Championship.
The 1993 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Spa-Francorchamps on 29 August 1993. It was the twelfth race of the 1993 Formula One World Championship.
The 1993 Portuguese Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Estoril on 26 September 1993. It was the fourteenth race of the 1993 Formula One World Championship.
The 1995 Brazilian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 26 March 1995 at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace, São Paulo, Brazil. It was the first round of the 1995 Formula One World Championship. Michael Schumacher of the Benetton team won the 71-lap race from second position. David Coulthard finished second in a Williams car, with Gerhard Berger third in a Ferrari. Damon Hill, who started the race from pole position, spun out while leading on lap 30 with an apparent gearbox problem, which was later found to be a suspension failure. Schumacher's win came despite Benetton encountering steering problems with his car during Friday practice, leading to him crashing heavily and necessitating steering component changes for the rest of the event. Despite Schumacher's victory, Hill proved to be faster during the race and seemed to be on course for a comfortable victory before his sudden retirement.
The 1995 Argentine Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 9 April 1995 at the Autódromo Oscar Alfredo Gálvez, Buenos Aires, Argentina. It was the second race of the 1995 Formula One World Championship and the first running of the Argentine Grand Prix since 1981.
The 1995 Monaco Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 28 May 1995 at the Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo, Monaco. It was the fifth round of the 1995 Formula One season. The 78-lap race was won by Michael Schumacher for the Benetton team after starting from second position. Damon Hill finished second for Williams after starting from pole position and leading the first 23 laps of the race, ahead of Gerhard Berger in a Ferrari car. The remaining points-scoring positions were filled by Johnny Herbert in the second Benetton, Mark Blundell (McLaren) and Heinz-Harald Frentzen (Sauber). Schumacher's win was his third of the season thus far and extended his lead in the World Drivers' Championship over Hill to five points. It was also Renault's first win in the Monaco Grand Prix, as Benetton's engine supplier.
The 1995 British Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 16 July 1995 at Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone, Northamptonshire, England. It was the eighth round of the 1995 Formula One World Championship. Johnny Herbert for the Benetton team won the 61-lap race from fifth position. Jean Alesi finished second in a Ferrari, with David Coulthard third in a Williams car. The remaining points-scoring positions were filled by Olivier Panis (Ligier), Mark Blundell (McLaren) and Heinz-Harald Frentzen (Sauber). Herbert's victory was his first in Formula One, and the Benetton team's fifth of the season.
The 1995 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 10 September 1995 at the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Monza, Italy. It was the twelfth race of the 1995 Formula One World Championship.
The 1995 Portuguese Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 24 September 1995 at the Autódromo do Estoril, Estoril, Portugal. It was the thirteenth race of the 1995 Formula One season. The 71-lap race was the first Formula One win for David Coulthard of the Williams team after starting from pole position Coulthard became the first Scottish driver to win a Grand Prix since Jackie Stewart won the 1973 German Grand Prix 22 years previously. Michael Schumacher was second in a Benetton, with Damon Hill third in the latter Williams car. After several controversial incidents previously involving Schumacher and Hill in the 1995 season, including collisions at Silverstone, Spa and Monza, Schumacher and Hill shook hands with each other at the podium presentation following this race.
The 1995 European Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 1 October 1995 at the Nürburgring, Nürburg, Germany. It was the fourteenth race of the 1995 Formula One World Championship and the first to be held there since 1985. Michael Schumacher for the Benetton team won the 67-lap race starting from third position. Jean Alesi finished second in a Ferrari, with David Coulthard, who started the Grand Prix from pole position, third in a Williams car. This was also the last F1 race for three drivers: Massimiliano Papis, Gabriele Tarquini and Jean-Denis Délétraz.
The 1995 Pacific Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 22 October 1995 at the TI Circuit, Aida, Japan. It was the fifteenth round of the 1995 Formula One World Championship. Michael Schumacher for the Benetton team won the 83-lap race starting from third position. David Coulthard, who started the Grand Prix from pole position, finished second in a Williams car, with Damon Hill third in the other Williams. Schumacher's win confirmed him as 1995 Drivers' Champion, as Hill could not pass Schumacher's points total with only two races remaining. This was also the last race for Jean-Christophe Boullion.
The 1995 Japanese Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at the Suzuka Circuit, Suzuka on 29 October 1995. It was the sixteenth and penultimate race of the 1995 Formula One World Championship. The 53-lap race was won from pole position by German Michael Schumacher, driving a Benetton-Renault, with Finn Mika Häkkinen second in a McLaren-Mercedes and Schumacher's British teammate Johnny Herbert third.
The 1997 FIA Formula One World Championship was the 51st season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1997 Formula One World Championship for Drivers and the 1997 Formula One World Championship for Constructors, which were contested concurrently over a seventeen-race series that commenced on 9 March and ended on 26 October.
The 1996 FIA Formula One World Championship was the 50th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. The championship commenced on 10 March and ended on 13 October after sixteen races. Two World Championship titles were awarded, one for Drivers and one for Constructors.
The 1995 FIA Formula One World Championship was the 49th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1995 Formula One World Championship for Drivers and the 1995 Formula One World Championship for Constructors, which were contested concurrently over a seventeen-race series that commenced on 26 March and ended on 12 November.
The Benetton B195 is a Formula One racing car designed by Rory Byrne and Ross Brawn for use by the Benetton team in the 1995 Formula One World Championship.
The Jordan 197 was the Formula One car with which the Jordan team competed in the 1997 Formula One World Championship.
The McLaren MP4/11 was the car with which the McLaren team competed in the 1996 Formula One World Championship. The chassis was designed by Neil Oatley, Steve Nichols, Matthew Jeffreys, David North, David Neilson, Paddy Lowe and Henri Durand, with Mario Illien designing the bespoke Ilmor engine. It was driven by Finn Mika Häkkinen, who was in his third full season with the team, and Briton David Coulthard, who moved from Williams.
The Jordan 196 was the car with which the Jordan team competed in the 1996 Formula One World Championship. It was driven by Brazilian Rubens Barrichello, who was in his fourth and final season with the team, and veteran Briton Martin Brundle, who moved from Ligier for what was to be his last season in F1.