The Williams FW23 was the car with which 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 competed in the Formula One

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...

 season. It was raced in competition by Ralf Schumacher

Ralf Schumacher

Ralf Schumacher is a German racing driver, and the younger brother of seven-time Formula One World Champion Michael Schumacher...

, who was in his third year with the team, and Juan Pablo Montoya

Juan Pablo Montoya

Juan Pablo Montoya Roldán is a Colombian race car driver known internationally for participating and winning in Formula One and CART race competitions. He has enjoyed great success. Currently, he competes in NASCAR, driving the #42 Target Chevrolet Impala for Earnhardt Ganassi Racing in the Sprint...

, a previous Formula 3000 and CART

Champ Car

Champ Car was the name for a class and specification of open wheel cars used in American Championship Car Racing for many decades, primarily for use in the Indianapolis 500 auto race...

 champion who was making his F1 début.

2001 was Williams' second year with engine partners BMW, and the promise shown in translated into raw speed and some good results throughout the year, including the team's first win since at Imola. The powerful engine, well-designed chassis, the Michelin

Michelin

Michelin is a tyre manufacturer based in Clermont-Ferrand in the Auvergne région of France. It is one of the two largest tyre manufacturers in the world along with Bridgestone. In addition to the Michelin brand, it also owns the BFGoodrich, Kleber, Riken, Kormoran and Uniroyal tyre brands...

 tyres' tendency to work well in hot conditions, and the efforts of two quick drivers resulted in a haul of four victories and the team's re-emergence at the top of the sport, alongside Ferrari

Scuderia Ferrari

Scuderia Ferrari is the racing team division of the Ferrari automobile marque. The team currently only races in Formula One but has competed in numerous classes of motorsport since its formation in 1929, including sportscar racing....

 and McLaren.

However, Williams were not able to mount a title challenge for several reasons. Firstly, the BMW engines were more unreliable than their rivals, resulting in a finishing rate of less than 50%. Secondly, the chassis was not so competitive on high-downforce

Downforce

Downforce is a downwards thrust created by the aerodynamic characteristics of a car. The purpose of downforce is to allow a car to travel faster through a corner by increasing the vertical force on the tires, thus creating more grip....

 tracks such as Monaco

Circuit de Monaco

Circuit de Monaco is a street circuit laid out on the city streets of Monte Carlo and La Condamine around the harbour of the principality of Monaco. It is commonly referred to as "Monte Carlo" because it is largely inside the Monte Carlo neighbourhood of Monaco.The circuit is used on one weekend in...

 and the Hungaroring

Hungaroring

The Hungaroring is a racing circuit in Mogyoród, near Budapest, Hungary where the Formula One Hungarian Grand Prix is held. In 1986, it became the location of the first Formula One Grand Prix behind the Iron Curtain. Bernie Ecclestone wanted a race in the USSR, but a Hungarian friend of his...

. Thirdly, both drivers made several mistakes, Montoya in particular as he came to terms with F1.

However, the team still finished a clear third in the Constructors' Championship, with 80 points.

Complete Formula One results

(results in bold indicate pole position)

Year	Team	Engine	Tyres	Drivers	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	Points	WCC
	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...	BMW V10 V10 engine A V10 engine is a V engine with 10 cylinders in two banks of five with a distinct exhaust note.- Mechanics :The V10 is essentially the result of mating two even-firing straight-5 engines together. The straight-5 engine shows first and second order rocking motion...			AUS 2001 Australian Grand Prix The 2001 Australian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 4 March 2001 at the Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit. It was the 66th running of the Australian Grand Prix and the first race of the 2001 Formula One season...	MAL 2001 Malaysian Grand Prix The 2001 Malaysian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at theSepang International Circuit in Sepang, Malaysia on March 18, 2001. The race, contested over 55 laps, was won by Ferrari's Michael Schumacher...	BRA 2001 Brazilian Grand Prix The 2001 Brazilian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at the Interlagos Circuit on April 1, 2001.This exciting Grand Prix had three notable incidents, two of them being overtaking moves, both on Ferrari driver Michael Schumacher, and both taking place at the "Senna S" corner of the track.The...	SMR	ESP	AUT	MON 2001 Monaco Grand Prix The 2001 Monaco Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Monaco on May 27, 2001.- Classification :- Notes :*David Coulthard started this race at the back of the grid, having stalled on pole.*This race gave the Jaguar team their first podium finish....	CAN 2001 Canadian Grand Prix The 2001 Canadian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on June 10, 2001. It was the 8th round of the 2001 Formula One season.-Race:...	EUR 2001 European Grand Prix The 2001 European Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Nürburgring on June 24, 2001.After an exciting qualifying session, it was Michael Schumacher in the Ferrari who grabbed pole position from brother Ralf Schumacher and Juan-Pablo Montoya in the Williams-BMWs. This proved to be an...	FRA 2001 French Grand Prix The 2001 French Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Magny-Cours on July 1, 2001.- Classification :- Notes :*Lap leaders: Ralf Schumacher 23 , Michael Schumacher 39 , David Coulthard 1 , Juan Pablo Montoya 9 *Fastest Lap: David Coulthard 1m 16.088s*Pole Position: Ralf Schumacher 1m...	GBR 2001 British Grand Prix The 2001 British Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on July 15, 2001 at Silverstone in Northamptonshire, England. It was the eleventh race of the 2001 Formula One season...	GER	HUN 2001 Hungarian Grand Prix The 2001 Hungarian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Hungaroring on August 19, 2001. This race saw Michael Schumacher win his fourth World Championship and equal Alain Prost's record of 51 Grand Prix victories.- Classification :- Notes :...	BEL	ITA 2001 Italian Grand Prix The 2001 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Monza on September 16, 2001.This was the first F1 race held after the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States. As a mark of respect, several teams altered their cars' liveries. The Ferraris ran without any sponsorship livery and...	USA 2001 United States Grand Prix The 2001 United States Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on September 30, 2001 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Indiana. This was the first international sport/race event held in USA after the September 11, 2001 attacks.__FORCETOC__...	JPN 2001 Japanese Grand Prix The 2001 Japanese Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on October 14, 2001 at the Suzuka Circuit. The race was won by Michael Schumacher who started from pole position....	80	3rd
				Ralf Schumacher Ralf Schumacher Ralf Schumacher is a German racing driver, and the younger brother of seven-time Formula One World Champion Michael Schumacher...	Ret	5	Ret	1	Ret	Ret	Ret	1	4	2	Ret	1	4	7	3	Ret	6
				Juan Pablo Montoya Juan Pablo Montoya Juan Pablo Montoya Roldán is a Colombian race car driver known internationally for participating and winning in Formula One and CART race competitions. He has enjoyed great success. Currently, he competes in NASCAR, driving the #42 Target Chevrolet Impala for Earnhardt Ganassi Racing in the Sprint...	Ret	Ret	Ret	Ret	2	Ret	Ret	Ret	2	Ret	4	Ret	8	Ret	1	Ret	2