Brabham BT54
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| Category | Formula One | ||||||||
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| Constructor | Brabham | ||||||||
| Designer(s) | Gordon Murray | ||||||||
| Predecessor | BT53 | ||||||||
| Successor | BT55 | ||||||||
| Technical specifications | |||||||||
| Chassis | Carbon fibre monocoque | ||||||||
| Suspension (front) | Double wishbones, push-rod operated coil springs over dampers | ||||||||
| Suspension (rear) | Double wishbones, push-rod operated coil springs over dampers | ||||||||
| Axle track | Front: 1,682 mm (66 in) Rear: 1,606 mm (63 in) |
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| Wheelbase | 2,962 mm (117 in) | ||||||||
| Engine | BMW M12/13, 1,499 cc (91.5 cu in), Straight 4, turbocharger, mid-engine, longitudinally mounted | ||||||||
| Transmission | Brabham / Hewland 6-speed manual | ||||||||
| Weight | 540 kg (1,190 lb) | ||||||||
| Fuel | Castrol | ||||||||
| Tyres | Pirelli | ||||||||
| Competition history | |||||||||
| Notable entrants | Motor Racing Developments | ||||||||
| Notable drivers | 7.  Nelson Piquet8.  François Hesnault8.  Marc Surer
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| Debut | 1985 Brazilian Grand Prix | ||||||||
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| Constructors' Championships | 0 | ||||||||
| Drivers' Championships | 0 | ||||||||
The Brabham BT54 was a Formula One racing car designed by Gordon Murray for the Brabham team for the 1985 Formula One season. The car was powered by the BMW M12 4cyl turbo engine (generally agreed to be the most powerful engine in Formula One at the time) and used Pirelli tyres. Like most of its rivals, Brabham had used Michelin tyres in 1984. However, when the French company pulled out of Grand Prix racing at the end of that season, team owner Bernie Ecclestone took a gamble and instead of signing with Goodyear for their proven rubber, signed with the Italian company instead.
Like its immediate predecessors, the BT54 had most of its weight towards the rear of the car to help improve traction. With FISA's ban on the 'winglets' on the rear wings that had been pioneered by Ferrari in 1983, Murray chose instead to put the small wings on the outside rear edges of the cars sidepods (Lotus designer Gérard Ducarouge had done the same with their 97T).
The car proved to be competitive, but somewhat unsuccessful even in the hands of two time world champion Nelson Piquet. The reason for this turned out to be the Pirelli tyres which proved to be nowhere near as good as the Goodyear tyres used by rivals McLaren, Lotus, Ferrari and Williams. Part of the BT54s problem was that unlike the other teams who had tested their cars during the European winter, Piquet had spent a southern hemisphere summer testing the car and the Pirelli tyres at the Kyalami circuit in South Africa and at the Jacarepagua circuit in Brazil. The testing was completed in hot conditions which suited the Pirellis as it allowed them to quickly get up to working temperature which masked their major flaw- in cooler temperatures, the Pirelli tyres just could not get up to working temperature as quickly as the Goodyear tyres. Unfortunately, once the European races started the problem surfaced of the front tyres taking a long time to reach working temperature (much longer than the Goodyears) which caused severe understeer, a situation was not helped by the unseasonably cool European summer or the lack of weight at the front of the car.
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Wikipedia