Williams FW10
Encyclopedia
The Williams FW10 was the Formula One
car built and raced by the Williams
team for the 1985 Formula One season
. It was upgraded to FW10B specification later in the season.
turbo power. had been difficult, as the FW09
struggled to cope with the enormous power and brutal torque curve, leading to handling problems which afflicted drivers Keke Rosberg
and Jacques Laffite
throughout the season. Technical Director Patrick Head
thus decided to make the FW10 stiffer by making the monocoque
entirely from carbon
composite, rather than the aluminium
honeycomb construction of previous years. This construction technique had been pioneered by the McLaren team with their MP4/1
in , and was in the process of being adopted by the other teams for its combination of exceptional stiffness and lightness. In total, nine tubs were built; one was sent to Japan for Honda test driver Satoru Nakajima
to drive, and one was a prototype to test the construction process. During the 1985 season, two were written off in accidents: the first when Nigel Mansell
went head-on into a barrier at Detroit, the second when he crashed heavily at Paul Ricard
due to a high-speed tyre blowout. The Honda engine proved to be extremely powerful, if not as reliable as the championship-winning TAG
-Porsche
turbo engine in Alain Prost
's McLaren MP4/2
B, with Head claiming around 1000-1250 bhp in qualifying, and up to 900 bhp in race configuration.
at the beginning of the year, won his first Grand Prix in home territory at Brands Hatch
, before following it up immediately with another win at Kyalami
. Rosberg then won the last race of the season, at Adelaide
. However, the team's reliability was still not as good as some of its rivals, and the car proved difficult to drive in wet conditions and at tight circuits with earlier-specification engines, such as at the Portuguese
and Monaco
Grands Prix. AUTOCOURSE
subsequently picked the FW10 as third-best car of the year, behind the Lotus 97T
and McLaren MP4/2B, and the chassis also won the Autosport
magazine's "racing car of the year" award. The FW10 also acted as an important step up to and for the team, in which the FW11
was generally the class of the field.
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
car built and raced by the Williams
WilliamsF1
Williams Grand Prix Engineering Limited, trading as AT&T Williams, is a British Formula One motor racing team and constructor. It was founded and run by Sir Frank Williams and Patrick Head...
team for the 1985 Formula One season
1985 Formula One season
The 1985 Formula One season was the 36th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1985 Formula 1 World Championship which commenced on 7 April 1985 and ended on 3 November 1985 after sixteen races. World Championship titles were awarded for both Drivers and Manufacturers.-Season...
. It was upgraded to FW10B specification later in the season.
Concept
1985 marked Williams' second full season with HondaHonda F1
Honda Racing F1 Team was a Formula One team run by Japanese car manufacturer Honda, from 1964 to 1968 and from 2006 to 2008. Honda's involvement in F1 began with the 1964 season; their withdrawal in 1968 was precipitated by the death of Honda driver Jo Schlesser during the 1968 French Grand Prix. ...
turbo power. had been difficult, as the FW09
Williams FW09
The Williams FW09 was a Formula One car designed by Patrick Head and Neil Oatley. It was the first Williams chassis to be powered by a turbocharged Honda V6 engine, which Frank Williams negotiated a deal for towards the end of and the beginning of the season...
struggled to cope with the enormous power and brutal torque curve, leading to handling problems which afflicted drivers Keke Rosberg
Keke Rosberg
Keijo Erik Rosberg , nicknamed "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. Rosberg grew up in Oulu and Iisalmi, Finland...
and Jacques Laffite
Jacques Laffite
Jacques-Henri Laffite is a French former racing driver who competed in Formula One from to . He achieved six grand prix wins, all while driving for the Ligier team. He is now a TV commentator on French television TF1....
throughout the season. Technical Director Patrick Head
Patrick Head
Patrick Head , is co-founder and Engineering Director of the Williams Formula One team.For 25 years from Head was technical director at Williams Grand Prix Engineering, and responsible for many innovations within Formula One. Head oversaw the design and construction of Williams cars until May 2004...
thus decided to make the FW10 stiffer by making the monocoque
Monocoque
Monocoque is a construction technique that supports structural load by using an object's external skin, as opposed to using an internal frame or truss that is then covered with a non-load-bearing skin or coachwork...
entirely from carbon
Carbon fiber
Carbon fiber, alternatively graphite fiber, carbon graphite or CF, is a material consisting of fibers about 5–10 μm in diameter and composed mostly of carbon atoms. The carbon atoms are bonded together in crystals that are more or less aligned parallel to the long axis of the fiber...
composite, rather than the aluminium
Aluminium
Aluminium or aluminum is a silvery white member of the boron group of chemical elements. It has the symbol Al, and its atomic number is 13. It is not soluble in water under normal circumstances....
honeycomb construction of previous years. This construction technique had been pioneered by the McLaren team with their MP4/1
McLaren MP4/1
The McLaren MP4/1 was a Formula One racing car produced by the McLaren team. It was used during the 1981, 1982 and 1983 seasons...
in , and was in the process of being adopted by the other teams for its combination of exceptional stiffness and lightness. In total, nine tubs were built; one was sent to Japan for Honda test driver Satoru Nakajima
Satoru Nakajima
Satoru Nakajima is a former racing driver from Japan.-Career:Nakajima was born into a farming family living just outside Okazaki, Japan. He began driving cars in his early teens in the family's garden with his older brother giving him tips, careful that they were not caught by their father...
to drive, and one was a prototype to test the construction process. During the 1985 season, two were written off in accidents: the first when Nigel Mansell
Nigel Mansell
Nigel Ernest James Mansell OBE is a British racing driver who won both the Formula One World Championship and the CART Indy Car World Series...
went head-on into a barrier at Detroit, the second when he crashed heavily at Paul Ricard
1985 French Grand Prix
The 1985 French Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Paul Ricard on July 7, 1985. It was the seventh round of the 1985 Formula One season....
due to a high-speed tyre blowout. The Honda engine proved to be extremely powerful, if not as reliable as the championship-winning TAG
Techniques d'Avant Garde
TAG Group SA is a private holding company based in Luxembourg City, in southern Luxembourg. At the head is Mansour Ojjeh son of the founder of the TAG Group Akram Ojjeh, who was a wealthy Saudi entrepreneur...
-Porsche
Porsche in motorsport
Porsche has been successful in many branches of motorsport of which most have been in long distance races.Despite their early involvement in motorsports being limited to supplying relatively small engines to racing underdogs up until the late 1960s, by the mid-1950s Porsche had already tasted...
turbo engine in Alain Prost
Alain Prost
Alain Marie Pascal Prost, OBE, Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur is a French racing driver. A four-time Formula One Drivers' Champion, Prost has won more titles than any driver except for Juan Manuel Fangio , and Michael Schumacher . From 1987 until 2001 Prost held the record for most Grand Prix...
's McLaren MP4/2
McLaren MP4/2
-Complete Formula One results: -See also:* Williams FW11* Lotus 97T...
B, with Head claiming around 1000-1250 bhp in qualifying, and up to 900 bhp in race configuration.
Racing history
The team had a much better season than in the previous two years, scoring four wins and taking third place in the Constructors' Championship. Rosberg won at Detroit early on, whilst developments to the engine in the final stages of the season saw the FW10 win the final three races. Mansell, having joined the team from LotusTeam Lotus
Team Lotus was the motorsport sister company of English sports car manufacturer Lotus Cars. The team ran cars in many motorsport series including Formula One, Formula Two, Formula Ford, Formula Junior, IndyCar and sports car racing...
at the beginning of the year, won his first Grand Prix in home territory at Brands Hatch
1985 European Grand Prix
The 1985 European Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Brands Hatch on October 6, 1985. It was the fourteenth round of the 1985 Formula One season....
, before following it up immediately with another win at Kyalami
1985 South African Grand Prix
The 1985 South African Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on October 19, 1985 at the Kyalami Circuit in South Africa. It was the fifteenth and penultimate round of the 1985 Formula One season....
. Rosberg then won the last race of the season, at Adelaide
1985 Australian Grand Prix
The 1985 Australian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held in Adelaide on November 3, 1985. It was the sixteenth and final race of the 1985 Formula One season....
. However, the team's reliability was still not as good as some of its rivals, and the car proved difficult to drive in wet conditions and at tight circuits with earlier-specification engines, such as at the Portuguese
1985 Portuguese Grand Prix
The 1985 Portuguese Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held in Estoril on April 21, 1985. It was the second round of the 1985 Formula One season and was won by Ayrton Senna from pole position, taking both his first pole position and win in the process....
and Monaco
1985 Monaco Grand Prix
The 1985 Monaco Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Monaco on May 19, 1985. It was the fourth round of the 1985 Formula One season. The race was won by Alain Prost driving a McLaren.-Piquet/Patrese accident:...
Grands Prix. AUTOCOURSE
Autocourse
AUTOCOURSE, or Autocourse, is a series of annuals covering motor racing, and Formula One in particular. The annuals cover a long period of the sport's history, from 1951 to the present day, and, as such, are highly collectible.-History:...
subsequently picked the FW10 as third-best car of the year, behind the Lotus 97T
Lotus 97T
The Lotus 97T was a Formula One racing car designed by Gérard Ducarouge and built by Team Lotus. A development of the Lotus 95T of 1984, it was designed for the 1985 Formula One season by French engineer Gérard Ducarouge and powered by a 1500cc Renault turbocharged engine. Sponsorship came from...
and McLaren MP4/2B, and the chassis also won the Autosport
Autosport
Autosport is a weekly magazine covering motorsport, published in the United Kingdom every Thursday by Haymarket Consumer Media. It was first published on 25 August 1950 by Gregor Grant, immediately prior to the Silverstone International Trophy meeting of that year...
magazine's "racing car of the year" award. The FW10 also acted as an important step up to and for the team, in which the FW11
Williams FW11
The Williams FW11 was a Formula One car designed by Patrick Head and Frank Dernie as a serious challenger to McLaren and their MP4/2 car. The car took over from where the FW10 left off at the end of , when that car won the last three races of the season...
was generally the class of the field.
Complete Formula One results
(Results in bold indicate pole position; results in italics indicate fastest lap.)| Year | Team | Engine | Tyres | Drivers | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | Points | WCC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canon Williams WilliamsF1 Williams Grand Prix Engineering Limited, trading as AT&T Williams, is a British Formula One motor racing team and constructor. It was founded and run by Sir Frank Williams and Patrick Head... |
Honda RA163-E V6 V6 engine A V6 engine is a V engine with six cylinders mounted on the crankcase in two banks of three cylinders, usually set at either a right angle or an acute angle to each other, with all six pistons driving a common crankshaft... tc Turbocharger A turbocharger, or turbo , from the Greek "τύρβη" is a centrifugal compressor powered by a turbine that is driven by an engine's exhaust gases. Its benefit lies with the compressor increasing the mass of air entering the engine , thereby resulting in greater performance... |
BRA 1985 Brazilian Grand Prix The 1985 Brazilian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Jacarepaguá on April 7, 1985. It was the first round of the 1985 Formula One season.... |
POR 1985 Portuguese Grand Prix The 1985 Portuguese Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held in Estoril on April 21, 1985. It was the second round of the 1985 Formula One season and was won by Ayrton Senna from pole position, taking both his first pole position and win in the process.... |
SMR 1985 San Marino Grand Prix The 1985 San Marino Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Imola on May 5, 1985. It was the third round of the 1985 Formula One season.Limited fuel allowances played a big part in the race, as a succession of drivers ran out in the last few laps... |
MON 1985 Monaco Grand Prix The 1985 Monaco Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Monaco on May 19, 1985. It was the fourth round of the 1985 Formula One season. The race was won by Alain Prost driving a McLaren.-Piquet/Patrese accident:... |
CAN 1985 Canadian Grand Prix The 1985 Canadian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on June 16, 1985. It was the fifth round of the 1985 Formula One season.- Classification :-Standings after the race:Drivers' Championship standings... |
DET 1985 Detroit Grand Prix The 1985 Detroit Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on June 23, 1985 in Detroit, Michigan. It was the sixth round of the 1985 Formula One season.__FORCETOC__-Summary:... |
FRA 1985 French Grand Prix The 1985 French Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Paul Ricard on July 7, 1985. It was the seventh round of the 1985 Formula One season.... |
GBR 1985 British Grand Prix The 1985 British Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Silverstone on 21 July 1985. It was the eighth round of the 1985 Formula One season.... |
GER 1985 German Grand Prix The 1985 German Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Nürburgring on August 4, 1985. It was the ninth round of the 1985 Formula One season.... |
AUT 1985 Austrian Grand Prix The 1985 Austrian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Österreichring on August 18, 1985. It was the tenth round of the 1985 Formula One season.- Classification :- Notes :*Lap Leaders: Alain Prost , Niki Lauda... |
NED 1985 Dutch Grand Prix The 1985 Dutch Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Circuit Zandvoort on August 25, 1985. It was the eleventh round of the 1985 Formula One season.This proved to be F1's last visit to Holland, and Niki Lauda's final F1 victory... |
ITA 1985 Italian Grand Prix The 1985 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Monza on September 8, 1985. It was the twelfth round of the 1985 Formula One season.It was the last Formula One Grand Prix where the winning driver received a laurel wreath.- Classification :... |
BEL 1985 Belgian Grand Prix The 1985 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Spa-Francorchamps on September 15, 1985. It was the thirteenth round of the 1985 Formula One season.The top 5 finishers all were or went on to be World Champion.- Classification :- Notes :... |
EUR 1985 European Grand Prix The 1985 European Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Brands Hatch on October 6, 1985. It was the fourteenth round of the 1985 Formula One season.... |
RSA 1985 South African Grand Prix The 1985 South African Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on October 19, 1985 at the Kyalami Circuit in South Africa. It was the fifteenth and penultimate round of the 1985 Formula One season.... |
AUS 1985 Australian Grand Prix The 1985 Australian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held in Adelaide on November 3, 1985. It was the sixteenth and final race of the 1985 Formula One season.... |
71 | 3rd | |||
 Nigel MansellNigel Mansell Nigel Ernest James Mansell OBE is a British racing driver who won both the Formula One World Championship and the CART Indy Car World Series... |
Ret | 5 | 5 | 7 | 6 | Ret | DNS | Ret | 6 | Ret | 6 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 1 | Ret | ||||||
 Keke RosbergKeke Rosberg Keijo Erik Rosberg , nicknamed "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. Rosberg grew up in Oulu and Iisalmi, Finland... |
Ret | Ret | Ret | 8 | 4 | 1 | 2 | Ret | 12 | Ret | Ret | Ret | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |