The Williams FW23 was the car with which the Williams team competed in the 2001 Formula One World Championship. It was driven by German Ralf Schumacher, who was in his third year with the team, and Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya, a previous Formula 3000 and CART champion who was making his F1 début.
![]() Schumacher with the FW23 at the 2001 Canadian Grand Prix | |||||||||||
Category | Formula One | ||||||||||
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Constructor | Williams | ||||||||||
Designer(s) | Patrick Head (Technical Director) Gavin Fisher (Chief Designer) Brian O'Roake (Chief Composites Engineer) Mark Tatham (Chief Mechanical Engineer) Geoff Willis (Head of Aerodynamics) Jason Somerville (Principal Aerodynamicist) Nick Alcock (Principal Aerodynamicist) | ||||||||||
Predecessor | Williams FW22 | ||||||||||
Successor | Williams FW24 | ||||||||||
Technical specifications | |||||||||||
Chassis | Carbon-fibre monocoque | ||||||||||
Suspension (front) | Williams double wishbone, torsion bar, pushrod | ||||||||||
Suspension (rear) | Williams double wishbone, coil spring, pushrod | ||||||||||
Engine | BMW P81 2,998 cc (182.9 cu in) V10 (90°) naturally aspirated, 19,000 RPM mid-engined | ||||||||||
Transmission | Williams 7-speed longitudinal semi-automatic sequential | ||||||||||
Power | 880 hp (656 kW) @ 18,000 RPM[1] | ||||||||||
Fuel | Petrobras | ||||||||||
Lubricants | Castrol | ||||||||||
Tyres | Michelin | ||||||||||
Competition history | |||||||||||
Notable entrants | BMW Williams F1 Team | ||||||||||
Notable drivers | 5. ![]() 6. ![]() | ||||||||||
Debut | 2001 Australian Grand Prix | ||||||||||
First win | 2001 San Marino Grand Prix | ||||||||||
Last win | 2001 Italian Grand Prix | ||||||||||
Last event | 2001 Japanese Grand Prix | ||||||||||
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Constructors' Championships | 0 | ||||||||||
Drivers' Championships | 0 |
Overview
editCar and season
edit2001 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 was 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.
A total of nine chassis were built.
Livery
editBMW 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.[2]
Gallery
edit-
FW23-05, 2001
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FW23-05, rear view
Complete Formula One results
edit(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 |
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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 |
References
edit- Henry, Alan, ed. (2001). AUTOCOURSE 2001-2002. Hazleton Publishing Ltd. pp. 66–68. ISBN 1-903135-06-0.
- ^ DeMattia, Nico (25 July 2015). "One of the greatest engines in history of Formula 1: BMW V10". BMW BLOG. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
- ^ "Williams tell rivals: "Keep your distance!"". Crash.net. 13 April 2001. Retrieved 9 April 2020.