The Williams FW14 was an F1 car designed by Patrick Head and Adrian Newey for the 1991 and 1992 F1 seasons. The car was born out of necessity, as the 1989 and 1990 seasons had proven competitive for Williams, but they had underachieved in their own and Renault's eyes. Newey started work on the new car soon after joining the team from March in mid-1990. He had designed a series of aerodynamically efficient and very effective cars for March on a limited budget, so with Williams' greater resources and money he was able to fully develop his ideas. The design showed enough promise to tempt Nigel Mansell to shelve his plans to retire from the sport and rejoin Williams from Ferrari. Powered by a 3.5 litre V10 Renault engine, the car was the most technically sophisticated on the grid, featuring a semi automatic gearbox, active suspension, traction control and for a brief period anti-lock brakes. Add to that the superb aerodynamics by Newey that was way ahead of the McLaren MP4/6, Ferrari 643 or Lotus 107, and it made for a potent mix, although at the beginning the disbelievers said the car was too technical for its own good.
16 окт 2024