Williams FW23

The Williams FW23 was the car with which the Williams team competed in the 2001 Formula One season. It was raced in competition by Ralf Schumacher, who was in his third year with the team, and Juan Pablo Montoya, a previous Formula 3000 and CART champion who was making his F1 début.

Williams FW23
CategoryFormula One
ConstructorWilliams
Designer(s)Patrick Head (Technical Director)
Gavin Fisher (Chief Designer)
Geoff Willis (Chief Aerodynamicist)
PredecessorWilliams FW22
SuccessorWilliams FW24
Technical specifications
ChassisCarbon-fibre monocoque
Suspension (front)Williams double wishbone, torsion bar, pushrod
Suspension (rear)Williams double wishbone, coil spring, pushrod
EngineBMW P80 2998 cc V10 (90°) naturally aspirated, 19,000 RPM
TransmissionWilliams 7-speed longitudinal semi-automatic sequential
FuelPetrobras
LubricantsCastrol
TyresMichelin
Competition history
Notable entrantsBMW Williams F1 Team
Notable drivers5. Ralf Schumacher
6. Juan Pablo Montoya
Debut2001 Australian Grand Prix
RacesWinsPolesF.Laps
17448
Constructors' Championships0
Drivers' Championships0

A total of 9 chassis were built.

Competition history

2001 was Williams' second year with engine partners BMW and the promise shown in 2000 translated into raw speed and some good results throughout the year, including the team's first win since 1997 at Imola. The powerful engine, well-designed chassis, the Michelin 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 and McLaren. The car was especially strong on faster circuits such as Hockenheim and Monza, where the BMW engine put Williams at a distinct advantage over their rivals.

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, in contrast to the faster circuits, the chassis was not as competitive on high-downforce tracks such as Monaco and the Hungaroring. 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.

Livery

BMW Williams went into the 2001 season with renewed major sponsorships such as Allianz, Nortel Networks, Compaq, Reuters, Veltins, Petrobras and Castrol. BMW Williams received new sponsorship such as WorldCom and discontinued sponsorships are 11880.com. The livery was similar to the 2000 design with subtle changes. In free practice ahead of the 2001 San Marino Grand Prix, Williams jokingly painted their rear wing with a text saying "Keep Your Distance!" after several rear-end shunts in the opening races, most notably by Jos Verstappen on Montoya whilst leading in Brazil.[1]

  • FW23-05, 2001
  • FW23-05, rear view

Complete Formula One results

(key) (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
2001 Williams BMW V10 M AUS MAL BRA SMR ESP AUT MON CAN EUR FRA GBR GER HUN BEL ITA USA JPN 80 3rd
Ralf Schumacher Ret 5 Ret 1 Ret Ret Ret 1 4 2 Ret 1 4 7 3 Ret 6
Juan Pablo Montoya Ret Ret Ret Ret 2 Ret Ret Ret 2 Ret 4 Ret 8 Ret 1 Ret 2
gollark: That could also be defined as:```haskell(+*-/) x y = x + y * y```
gollark: I forgot which characters are allowed in operators, but you can googualte it.
gollark: Yes.
gollark: Defining an operator.
gollark: for example

References
  • Henry, Alan (ed.) (2001). AUTOCOURSE 2001-2002. Hazleton Publishing Ltd. pp. 66–68. ISBN 1-903135-06-0.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
  1. "Williams tell rivals: "Keep your distance!"". Crash.net. 13 April 2001. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.