Brabham BT50
Riccardo Patrese in a BT50 at the 1982 Dutch Grand Prix
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| Category | Formula One | ||||||||
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| Constructor | Brabham | ||||||||
| Designer(s) | Gordon Murray | ||||||||
| Predecessor | Brabham BT49D | ||||||||
| Successor | Brabham BT51 | ||||||||
| Technical specifications | |||||||||
| Chassis | Aluminium monocoque | ||||||||
| Suspension (front) | Double wishbone | ||||||||
| Suspension (rear) | Double wishbone | ||||||||
| Engine | BMW M12, 1,499 cc (91.5 cu in), I4, Turbo, mid-engine, longitudinally mounted | ||||||||
| Transmission | Hewland / Alfa Romeo 5-speed manual | ||||||||
| Fuel |
Elf Valvoline |
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| Tyres | Goodyear | ||||||||
| Competition history | |||||||||
| Notable entrants | Parmalat Racing Team | ||||||||
| Notable drivers | 1.  Nelson Piquet2.  Riccardo Patrese
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| Debut | 1982 South African Grand Prix | ||||||||
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| Constructors' Championships | 0 | ||||||||
| Drivers' Championships | 0 | ||||||||
The Brabham BT50 was a Formula One racing car designed by Gordon Murray and powered by a turbo BMW engine. It was raced by the Brabham team, owned by Bernie Ecclestone, during the 1982 Formula One season. Driven by Nelson Piquet and Riccardo Patrese, it made its debut at the South African Grand Prix before being withdrawn for further development of its engine while the team reverted to the previous year's car, the Brabham BT49. On the reintroduction of the BT50, Piquet finished fifth in the Belgian Grand Prix. A few races later he drove it to a win in the Canadian Grand Prix. Later in the year it achieved three more finishes in the points for the team. During the second half of the season, Brabham implemented the strategy of mid-race refueling. This allowed Piquet and Patrese to start the races relatively light and use their reduced weight to gain track position over their competitors before stopping to refuel. The poor reliability of the BT50 meant that they had only a few opportunities to demonstrate the strategy in practice.
Despite its unreliability, the BT50 was fast, taking one pole and three fastest laps during the season. Brabham finished fifth in the 1982 Constructor's Championship with 41 points although 19 of these were earned with the BT49.
The possibility of BMW entering Formula One was raised as early as mid-1979. Brabham's lead driver, Niki Lauda, was becoming disgruntled at the performance of the uncompetitive Brabham-Alfa BT48 and discreet discussions were held with aim of getting him into a BMW-powered McLaren. The Brabham team management were also unhappy with Alfa Romeo, not helped by the Italian company producing its own car and entering it into that year's Belgian Grand Prix.
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