Damon Hill driving the FW16B at the 1994 British Grand Prix
Category
Formula One
Constructor
Williams (chassis, transmission, electronics) Renault Sport (engine)
Designer(s)
Patrick Head (Technical Director) Adrian Newey (Chief Designer) Eghbal Hamidy (Chief Aerodynamicist) Bernard Dudot (Chief Engine Designer (Renault))
Predecessor
FW15C
Successor
FW17
Technical specifications[1]
Chassis
Carbon fibre and Aramid monocoque
Suspension (front)
Williams inboard torsion spring, double wishbone, operated by a push-rod bellcrank
Suspension (rear)
Williams inboard coil-spring, double wishbone, operated by a push-rod bellcrank
Axle track
Front: 1,670 mm (66 in) Rear: 1,590 mm (63 in)
Wheelbase
2,920 mm (115 in)
Engine
Renault RS6 / RS6B / RS6C, 3,498 cc (213.5 cu in), 67° V10, NA, mid-engine, longitudinally mounted
Transmission
Williams transverse 6-speed sequential semi-automatic
Power
790–830 hp (589.1–618.9 kW) @ 14,300 rpm 340 lb⋅ft (461.0 N⋅m) of torque
Fuel
Elf
Tyres
Goodyear
Competition history
Notable entrants
Rothmans Williams Renault
Notable drivers
0. Damon Hill 2. Ayrton Senna 2. Nigel Mansell 2. David Coulthard
Debut
1994 Brazilian Grand Prix
First win
1994 Spanish Grand Prix
Last win
1994 Australian Grand Prix
Last event
1994 Australian Grand Prix
Races
Wins
Podiums
Poles
F/Laps
16
7
13
6
8
Constructors' Championships
1 (1994)
Drivers' Championships
0
The Williams FW16 is a Formula One car designed by Adrian Newey for the British Williams team. The FW16 competed in the 1994 Formula One season, with Williams winning the Constructor's Championship, and British driver Damon Hill finishing runner-up in the Drivers' Championship. It is notable as the last car to be driven by three-time world champion Ayrton Senna before his fatal accident during the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix. Its engine was a Renault RS6 3.5 V10. The team's main sponsor was Rothmans, replacing Camel Cigarettes and Canon used on the FW14 and FW15C. The car was designed around the major regulation changes that the FIA had introduced in the off-season, banning the various electronic devices that had been used by the front running cars during the preceding two seasons.
The FW16 was a passive evolution of the FW15C that had preceded it. It featured revised bodywork, including a low profile engine cover; taller sidepods; enclosed driveshaft; and an anhedral rear wing lower element, which was previously hinted at on the FW15C. In addition to these changes, the FW16 featured an innovative rear suspension wishbone design, an improved version of the Renault Sport Formula One engine (RS6), and a fuel valve to enable the ability for mid-race refuelling (a rule reintroduced for 1994).
As with the previous season, the number 0 car was driven by Damon Hill for the entire year. Only the defending champion had the right to use number 1 and reigning champion Alain Prost had left the sport. The number 2 car was driven by Ayrton Senna. Williams test driver David Coulthard filled in for most of the season but Williams also brought back Nigel Mansell, who had won them the drivers' title for them in 1992, when his Indycar commitments allowed. Although it was fast, the car proved to be a tricky proposition in early testing and in the early part of the season. The car had a number of problems that were not properly remedied: a design flaw was discovered in the car's frontal section and there were attempts to correct this in time for the ill-fated third race, at the San Marino Grand Prix.
Various other alterations were made by Newey and Patrick Head to alleviate the car's handling problems, such as the addition of bargeboards at the Spanish Grand Prix; the FIA-mandated modifications to the airbox at the Canadian Grand Prix; and shorter sidepods at the German Grand Prix. This heavily revised B-spec car was labelled the FW16B from the German race onwards and was much improved from the original car. It was developed by Hill, but the Benetton B194 and Michael Schumacher were dominant in the first half of the season.
^"1993 Williams FW15C Renault - Images, Specifications and Information". Ultimatecarpage.com. Retrieved 23 August 2010.
The WilliamsFW16 is a Formula One car designed by Adrian Newey for the British Williams team. The FW16 competed in the 1994 Formula One season, with...
made numerous comments that the WilliamsFW16 had quirks that needed to be ironed out. It was obvious that the FW16, after the regulation changes banning...
traditional pre-season testing at the Estoril Circuit, Senna said of the WilliamsFW16: I have a very negative feeling about driving the car and driving it...
suspension, traction control, and ABS. During preseason testing, the new WilliamsFW16 car exhibited none of the superiority of the FW15C and FW14B cars that...
Playlife. Williams FW12C Williams FW13 Williams FW14 Williams FW14B Williams FW15C WilliamsFW16Williams FW17 Williams FW18 Williams FW19 Williams FW20 Williams...
Schumacher on twisty tracks, unlike the early WilliamsFW16 which proved difficult to drive thanks to Williams's dependence on electronic driving aids in the...
the last row in 1977 was now on the front row beside Alan Jones in the Williams FW07. When Jones's Cosworth expired, his teammate Clay Regazzoni moved...
Newey's designs. After designing championship-winning Formula One cars for Williams and McLaren, Newey moved to Red Bull Racing in 2006, his cars winning the...
a test driver for the Formula One title-winning Williams team in 1992. He was promoted to the Williams race team the following year after Riccardo Patrese's...
Riccardo Patrese also crashed at the same corner while testing for the Williams team. In response to the deaths of Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger...
Arrows and Williams, and first turning down Williams's offer, it was announced before the Dutch Grand Prix that he would indeed be joining Williams. Mansell...
Ayrton Senna as many have incorrectly assumed). The car was retired once the FW16 became available, yet it was notably the quicker car of the two in early...
Mansell's Williams FW14B from 1992 season in display Damon Hill's #0 WilliamsFW16 from 1994 season in display Damon Hill driving for Williams at Montreal...
tragedy at Monza". RaceFans. Archived from the original on October 27, 2015. Williams, Richard (September 5, 2011). "When motor racing really was a matter of...
Championship and the Formula 3000 series. He first drove in Formula One with Williams in the 1994 season succeeding the late Ayrton Senna. The following year...
Senna 1994 San Marino Grand Prix crash 1 May 1994 Loss of control of WilliamsFW16 At the San Marino Grand Prix track, triple Formula One world championship...
a high nose cone. The last truly successful low nose design was the WilliamsFW16, built only four years after the Tyrrell's unveiling. After this car...
The Williams FW17 is a Formula One racing car designed by Adrian Newey, with which the Williams team competed in the 1995 Formula One World Championship...
Motorsport Memorial. Retrieved 2013-07-22. "Billy Kimmel Fatally Injured At Williams Grove". News.southjerseydirtracing.com. Archived from the original on 2014-02-02...
the first stanza of the poem on both a hoodie and t-shirt as part of its FW16 collection. The first and last stanzas are credited to poet Ruth Zardo in...
Championship Drivers' Champion: Michael Schumacher Constructors' Champion: Williams-Renault Previous 1993 Next 1995 Races by country Races by venue Support...
Global Information
Damon Hill
Ayrton Senna