| Williams FW14B | |
|---|---|
| |
| Constructor | Williams F1 |
| Designer(s) |  Patrick Head (Technical Director)
|
| Predecessor | FW14 |
| Successor | FW15C |
| Formula One World Championship | |
| Years Active | 1992 |
| Constructors | Canon Williams Team |
| Drivers | 5. Nigel Mansell
|
| Debut | 1992 South African Grand Prix |
| Races | 16 |
| Wins | 10 |
| Poles | 15 |
| Fastest Laps | 9 |
| Constructors' Championships | 1 (1992) |
| Drivers' Championships | 1 (1992) |
The Williams FW14B was a Formula One car designed by Adrian Newey, used by the Williams team during the 1992 Formula One season.
Contents
Design[edit | edit source]
The Williams FW14B was a mostly mechanical evolution of the already succesful FW14. Just like its predecessor, it featured a semi-automatic gearbox, traction control and a much refined active suspension. Despite its speed, the FW14 was still too fragile to keep Senna from winning his second consecutive title with McLaren.
Development over the winter proved to be a major boost, helped by yet again a brilliant Renault engine, topping the competition with possibly 30 hp.
Racing History[edit | edit source]
1992[edit | edit source]
In 1992, after further development work was done to the gearbox, traction control and the active suspension, the FW14B was the dominant car and Mansell wrapped up the championship with a then record 9 wins in a season, whilst Patrese scored a further win. Patrese didn't warm to the car as much as the FW14, as he preferred the passive suspension in that chassis. Williams were clear winners of the constructors' championship, but the season ended in acrimony as Mansell left the team after Alain Prost was signed, while Patrese moved to Benetton for his swansong season in 1993. There were many races where Mansell and Patrese would gain 2 seconds on the rest of the field every lap, usually in the first 10 laps, which made it completely obvious that the FW14B was far superior to even the next best car, the McLaren MP4/7A. Another example of Williams' dominance that year was at qualifying at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, where Mansell was a whole 2 seconds faster than his teammate Patrese, who again was a second faster than 3rd placed Ayrton Senna.
The FW14 won 17 grands prix, 22 pole positions and 289 points before being replaced with the FW15C for 1993. Given that current F1 regulations ban many of the technologies used by the FW14B and FW15C, these are considered among the most technologically advanced racing cars ever built.
Technical specifications[edit | edit source]
| Component | Specification |
|---|---|
| Chassis | Carbon fibre and honeycomb composite structure |
| Front suspension | Twin-link, pushrod-operated, hydro-pneumatic |
| Rear suspension | Twin-link, pushrod-operated, hydro-pneumatic |
| Brakes | Carbon brake discs and pads. |
| Tyres | Goodyear |
| Weight | 505 kg (1,113 Ib) |
| Engine | Renault RS3C / RS4, 3,493 cc (213.2 cu in), 67° V10, NA, mid-engine, longitudinally mounted |
| Gearbox | Williams 6-speed semi-automatic |
| Gears | Six forward and one reverse |
| Fuel | Elf |
Gallery[edit | edit source]
Complete Formula One Results[edit | edit source]
(key) (results shown in bold indicate pole position; results in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | Engine | Tyres | Driver | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | Pts. | WCC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Canon Williams Team | G | RSA | MEX | BRA | ESP | SMR | MON | CAN | FRA | GBR | GER | HUN | BEL | ITA | POR | JPN | AUS | 164 | 1st | ||
| Nigel Mansell
|
1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | Ret | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | Ret | 1 | Ret | Ret | ||||||
 Riccardo Patrese
|
2 | 2 | 2 | Ret | 2 | 3 | Ret | 2 | 2 | 8 | Ret | 3 | 5 | Ret | 1 | Ret |
