Williams FW04
| Category | Formula One | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Constructor | Williams / Wolf-Williams / McGuire | ||||||||
| Predecessor | Williams FW | ||||||||
| Successor | Wolf-Williams FW05 | ||||||||
| Technical specifications | |||||||||
| Chassis | Aluminium monocoque, with engine as a fully stressed member. | ||||||||
| Axle track | 1,570 mm (62 in) | ||||||||
| Wheelbase | 2,540 mm (100 in) | ||||||||
| Engine | Ford Cosworth DFV 2,993 cc (182.6 cu in) 90° V8, naturally aspirated, mid-mounted. | ||||||||
| Transmission | Hewland FG 400 5-speed Manual. | ||||||||
| Weight | 591 kg (1,302.9 lb) | ||||||||
| Fuel | FINA | ||||||||
| Lubricants | FINA | ||||||||
| Tyres | Goodyear | ||||||||
| Competition history | |||||||||
| Notable entrants |
Frank Williams Racing Cars Wolf-Williams Racing |
||||||||
| Notable drivers |
 Jacques Laffite Ian Scheckter Renzo Zorzi Arturo Merzario
|
||||||||
| Debut | 1975 Spanish Grand Prix | ||||||||
|
|||||||||
| n.b. Unless otherwise stated, all data refer to Formula One World Championship Grands Prix only. |
|||||||||
The Williams FW04 was a Formula One car used by Frank Williams Racing Cars during the 1975 and 1976 seasons. The car was a development of the Williams FW and two were built. Although not a particularly successful car, an FW04 finished second at the 1975 German Grand Prix.
In 1976, both FW04s were sold to Australian driver Brian McGuire, who raced them in the Shellsport International Series, winning one round at Thruxton. He also made modifications to the cars and renamed them the McGuire BM1. McGuire was killed in one of these cars at Brands Hatch in August 1977.
For the first three races of the 1975 season, Frank Williams Racing Cars were still using the FW, and the new FW04 was not ready until the 1975 Spanish Grand Prix. Only one car was built at first, and it was raced alongside the older FW03 throughout the rest of the season. Williams was operating on a low budget and was occasionally even forced to buy used tyres from other teams.
On its debut in Spain, the FW04 was driven by Italian Arturo Merzario with young British driver Tony Brise in the FW03 on a one-race deal. Brise outqualified Merzario (18th and 25th) and Merzario withdrew from the race protesting that the barriers at the Montjuich circuit were not bolted together properly. Later Rolf Stommelen's rear wing failed and he crashed into the crowd, killing five people. Brise finished seventh. In Monaco, Jacques Laffite returned to the team to take Brise's place, and the Frenchman drove the FW04 with Merzario in the FW03. Neither driver qualified for the race, as they were classified 19th (Laffite) and 20th (Merzario) and only 18 cars were permitted to start the race. At the Belgian Grand Prix, Laffite qualified 17th in the FW04 but retired from the race with gearbox failure. In Sweden, Laffite was absent again as he was driving in Formula Two, and Merzario had left the team, so Damien Magee and Ian Scheckter were brought in to replace them. Scheckter started 20th in the FW04 but crashed out of the race after a tyre failure.
...
Wikipedia