Six Appeal

Faced with the threat of rival teams running high-power turbo engines in the early ’80s Williams had to think outside the box. Sadly, its six-wheeled racers never saw F1 action. Racecar re-evaluates this radical concept

- Wouter Melissen

It’s among the most successful of all F1 teams, yet Williams has never really been known for its obviously ground breaking designs. Instead, the team, founded by Frank Williams and Patrick Head in 1977, usually managed to improve and perfect an existing design or idea, though many times using novel ideas to achieve this behind the scenes.

A great example of this was the FW07 raced by the team in successive evolutions between 1979 and 1981. It adopted the ground effect aerodynamics pioneered by Team Lotus but coupled with a much stronger chassis capable of handling the high aerodynamic loads attained. This resulted in the 1980 drivers’ championship for Alan Jones and back-to-back constructors’ titles in 1980 and 1981. Ironically, the Williams FW07 was so good that many rival Formula 1 teams copied its design.

Despite the success of the FW07 chief engineer Patrick Head and his aerodynamicist Frank Dernie recognised a serious threat on the horizon; the advent of the hugely powerful and ever more reliable turbo engines. In 1981 these were the preserve of works teams like Renault and Ferrari, so Williams had no option but to carry on with the readily available Ford Cosworth DFV V8. But a superior grasp of aerodynamics and chassis design would not be sufficient to bridge the estimated 200bhp deficit of Williams’ naturally aspirated engine. Especially considering ever-stricter regulations aimed at pegging back downforce to reduce cornering speeds. With no turbo engine supply deal insight, Williams opted to, uncharacteristically, explore a solution that was well outside the box.