Williams FW06

Last updated
Williams FW06
Williams FW06 front Donington Grand Prix Collection.jpg
Category Formula One
Constructor Williams
Designer(s) Patrick Head
Predecessor Williams FW04
Successor Williams FW07
Technical specifications
Chassis Aluminium monocoque
Engine Ford-Cosworth DFV 2,993 cc (182.6 cu in) 90° V8 naturally aspirated mid-mounted
Transmission Hewland FGA 400 6-speed manual
Tyres Goodyear
Competition history
Notable entrants Williams
Notable drivers27. Flag of Australia (converted).svg Alan Jones
28. Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Clay Regazzoni
Debut 1978 Argentine Grand Prix
RacesWins Poles F/Laps
20002
Constructors' Championships0
Drivers' Championships0

The Williams FW06 was the first car produced by the combination of Frank Williams and Patrick Head for their Williams Grand Prix Engineering Formula One team. As was the standard arrangement for the many small British garagiste teams, the car was powered by the Cosworth DFV 3.0 litre V8 engine.

Contents

Concept

After a season running a customer March chassis in 1977 with limited results, just as in 1975 Frank Williams decided on a completely independent car for the new season. The FW06 was Patrick Head's first full F1 design. Inspired by the shortcomings of the March and his quick fix improvements done to the FW04 [1] he took no chances and penned a simple and light car that handled well. It had a conventional design but was as tightly packaged as possible. As was normal at the time, some parts for the car were not bespoke items, but bought off the shelf. For example the radiators were sourced from a Volkswagen Golf. [2] However reliability was an issue to begin with. [3]

Race history

With major sponsorship secured from Saudi Arabian Airlines and TAG, the FW06 first took to the racetrack in the 1978 Argentine Grand Prix in the hands of Alan Jones, and a single car competed in all 16 rounds of the World Championship that season, finishing in the points 3 times including a second place at Watkins Glen, equalling Williams best result at the 1975 German Grand Prix. [4] An excellent drive by Jones at Long Beach was unrewarded. While running second the car developed mechanical trouble and fell back. [5] Jones liked the car, stating that it was pleasant to drive and was very drivable compared to previous machinery he had been given, and felt it was one of the best non ground effect cars that season. [6] The higher budget afforded by the sponsorship deal allowed Patrick Head to continually develop the FW06 throughout the year. [7] Williams finished ninth in the constructors' championship in 1978, matching the best performance by the team in its first incarnation achieved in 1975. [8]

Alan Jones driving the FW06 at the 1978 British Grand Prix. Alan Jones - Williams FW06 at Druids at the 1978 British Grand Prix (50049697273).jpg
Alan Jones driving the FW06 at the 1978 British Grand Prix.

The FW06 also saw service in the first four races of the 1979 season, with Clay Regazzoni joining Jones in the team. Jones finished in third place at Long Beach, but by now the car was being left behind by the ground effect cars of Lotus, Ligier, Tyrrell and others, and the car was replaced by the FW07.

Upon being retired, the FW06 chassis was bought by motorcycle ace Giacomo Agostini, who had decided on a switch to car racing and drove the car with sponsorship from Marlboro in the British Formula One Championship in 1979 and 1980. [9]

The car appeared in the video game Formula One Championship Edition on PlayStation in the classic cars along with other classic cars including Lotus 49C, Lotus 72D, Cooper T51, Alfa Romeo 158 and Renault RS01.

Complete Formula One World Championship results

(key) (results in bold indicate pole position) (results in italics indicate fastest lap)

YearEntrantEngineTyresDrivers12345678910111213141516 Points WCC
1978 Williams Grand Prix Engineering Ford Cosworth DFV V8 G ARG BRA RSA USW MON BEL ESP SWE FRA GBR GER AUT NED ITA USA CAN 119th
Alan Jones Ret1447Ret108Ret5RetRetRetRet1329
1979 Albilad-Saudia Racing Team Ford Cosworth DFV V8 G ARG BRA RSA USW ESP BEL MON FRA GBR GER AUT NED ITA CAN USA 75 1 2nd
Alan Jones 9RetRet3
Clay Regazzoni 10159Ret

^1 71 points in scored using the Williams FW07.

Related Research Articles

Brabham is the common name for Motor Racing Developments Ltd., a British racing car manufacturer and Formula One racing team. Founded in 1960 by Australian driver Jack Brabham and British-Australian designer Ron Tauranac, the team won four Drivers' and two Constructors' World Championships in its 30-year Formula One history. Jack Brabham's 1966 FIA Drivers' Championship remains the only such achievement using a car bearing the driver's own name.

Williams Grand Prix Engineering Limited, currently racing in Formula One as Williams Racing, is a British Formula One team and constructor. It was founded by Frank Williams and Patrick Head. The team was formed in 1977 after Frank Williams' earlier unsuccessful F1 operation: Frank Williams Racing Cars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cosworth DFV</span> Internal combustion engine

The DFV is an internal combustion engine that was originally produced by Cosworth for Formula One motor racing. The name is an abbreviation of Double Four Valve, the engine being a V8 development of the earlier four-cylinder FVA, which had four valves per cylinder.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1980 Austrian Grand Prix</span> Motor car race

The 1980 Austrian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 17 August 1980 at the Österreichring circuit in Austria. It was the tenth race of the 1980 Formula One season. The race was the 13th Austrian Grand Prix and the eleventh to be held at the Österreichring. The race was held over 54 laps of the 5.942-kilometre circuit for a total race distance of 321 kilometres.

The 1980 Canadian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 28 September 1980, at the Circuit Île Notre-Dame in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It was the thirteenth and penultimate race of the 1980 Formula One season. The race was the 19th Canadian Grand Prix and the third to be held in Montreal. The race was held over 70 laps of the 4.41-kilometre circuit for a total race distance of 309 kilometres.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hesketh Racing</span> Formula One racing team

Hesketh Racing was a Formula One constructor from the United Kingdom, which competed from 1973 to 1978. The team competed in 52 World Championship Grands Prix, winning one and achieving eight further podium finishes. Its best placing in the World Constructors' Championship was fourth in 1975. Hesketh gave James Hunt his Formula One debut and he brought the team most of its success. Alan Jones also began his Formula One career in a privately entered Hesketh.

Vel's Parnelli Jones Racing, commonly referred to simply as Parnelli or VPJ, was a motor racing constructor and team from the United States. The team was formed in 1969 by former USAC racer Parnelli Jones and his business partner Velko "Vel" Miletich. Parnelli was initially solely concerned with USAC racing, where success came quickly; their driver Al Unser won the Indianapolis 500 race in 1970, driving a VPJ Colt, after leading 190 of the 200 racing laps. Unser went on to win the USAC championship. Unser repeated the Indy 500 win in 1971 with a new Colt built without the left side chassis offset that had been made illegal by 1971 rules, ending the season in fourth place in the USAC drivers points while teammate Joe Leonard won the championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frank Williams Racing Cars</span> Formula One racing team

Frank Williams Racing Cars was a British Formula One team and constructor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lotus 79</span> Formula One racing car

The Lotus 79 is a Formula One car designed in late 1977 by Colin Chapman, Geoff Aldridge, Martin Ogilvie, Tony Rudd, Tony Southgate and Peter Wright of Lotus. The Lotus 79 was the first F1 car to take full advantage of ground effects aerodynamics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lotus 72</span> Formula One racing car

The Lotus 72 is a Formula One car designed by Colin Chapman and Maurice Philippe of Lotus for the 1970 Formula One season. The 72 was a pioneering design featuring inboard brakes, side-mounted radiators in sidepods, and aerodynamic wings producing down-force.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">McLaren M23</span> Formula One racing car

The McLaren M23 was a Formula One racing car designed by Gordon Coppuck, with input from John Barnard, and built by the McLaren team. It was a development of the McLaren M16 Indianapolis 500 car. A Ford Cosworth DFV engine was used, which was prepared by specialist tuning company Nicholson-McLaren Engines. This helped push the DFV's horsepower output to around 490 bhp.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Williams FW07</span> Formula One motor racing car

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.

Formula One sponsorship liveries have been used since the 1968 season, replacing national colours. Major sponsors such as BP, Shell, and Firestone had pulled out of the sport ahead of the season, prompting the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile to allow unrestricted sponsorship. At the 1968 South African Grand Prix, South African privateer team Team Gunston became the first Formula One team to implement sponsorship brands as a livery when they entered a private Brabham car painted in the colours of Gunston cigarettes for John Love. In the next race, the 1968 Spanish Grand Prix, Team Lotus became the first works team to follow this example, with Graham Hill's Lotus 49B entered in the red, gold and white colors of Imperial Tobacco's Gold Leaf brand. With rising costs in Formula One, sponsors becoming more important and thus liveries reflected the teams' sponsors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Williams FW10</span> Formula One racing car

The Williams FW10 is a Formula One car designed by Frank Dernie for use by the Williams team in the 1985 Formula One World Championship. It was powered by a Honda RA165E V6 turbo engine and driven by Briton Nigel Mansell and Finn Keke Rosberg. An upgraded version of the car, dubbed the FW10B, was introduced late in the season, which enabled the team to win the final three races of the year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lotus 102</span>

The Lotus 102 was a Formula One racing car designed by Lotus for use in the 1990 Formula One season and would eventually go on to compete in 37 races spanning three seasons from 1990 until 1992.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Williams FW09</span> Formula One racing car

The Williams FW09 was a Formula One car designed by Frank Dernie and Neil Oatley. It was the first Williams chassis to be powered by a turbocharged Honda V6 engine, for which Frank Williams negotiated a deal towards the end of 1982 and the beginning of 1983.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">McLaren M28</span> Formula One racing car

The McLaren M28 is a Formula One racing car built and run by McLaren in the 1979 Formula One World Championship. Powered by a naturally-aspirated Ford Cosworth 3-litre engine, the M28 was designed and wind tunnel tested during the latter half of 1978, at around the same time as Ronnie Peterson was mooted to join the team for the following season. The car was noticeably larger than contemporary designs and was much bulkier looking. Three chassis were built. The bulky design had a sharp impact on top speed, and the car was one of the slowest through speed traps. The car first appeared on track in October 1978 during a test at Watkins Glen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Williams FW08</span> 1982-83 Williams Formula One racing car

The Williams FW08 was a Formula One car designed by Frank Dernie, which debuted at the 1982 Belgian Grand Prix held at the Zolder circuit. An evolution of the FW07 that it replaced, the car was used by Finnish driver Keke Rosberg to win the 1982 World Drivers' Championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Williams FW</span> Formula One motor racing car

The Williams FW was a Formula One car used by Frank Williams Racing Cars during the 1973, 1974 and 1975 seasons. It was designed by John Clarke.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Williams FW04</span> Formula One motor racing car

The Williams FW04 was a Formula One car used by Frank Williams Racing Cars during the 1975 season and Wolf–Williams Racing during the 1976 season. The car was a development of the Williams FW and two were built. Although not a particularly successful car, an FW04 finished second at the 1975 German Grand Prix.

References

  1. ↑ "Patrick Head". Motor Sport Magazine. 7 July 2014. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
  2. ↑ "Williams FW06". 14 June 2018. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
  3. ↑ "1978 Williams FW06 Cosworth - Images, Specifications and Information". Ultimatecarpage.com. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
  4. ↑ "1975 German Grand Prix". Motor Sport Magazine. 12 June 2017. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
  5. ↑ "1978 Williams FW06". conceptcarz.com. Retrieved 1 December 2019.
  6. ↑ "Alan Jones Interview | Beyond The Grid | Official F1 Podcast *STRONG LANGUAGE*". Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved 8 December 2019– via www.youtube.com.
  7. ↑ "Alan Jones | Motor Sport Magazine Database". Motor Sport Magazine. 12 June 2017. Retrieved 1 December 2019.
  8. ↑ "1975 F1 Championship Standings". www.f1-fansite.com. 16 January 1975. Retrieved 7 December 2019.
  9. ↑ "8W - Who? - Giacomo Agostini". 8w.forix.com. Retrieved 1 December 2019.

Commons-logo.svg Media related to Williams FW06 at Wikimedia Commons

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.