Williams FW28

The Williams FW28 was the car with which the Williams team competed in the 2006 Formula One season. The drivers were Mark Webber and rookie Nico Rosberg, the reigning GP2 Series champion. Webber was in his second year with the team, and teammate Nico Rosberg carried a hint of nostalgia, as Nico's father Keke had won the 1982 F1 championship in a Cosworth-engined Williams.

Williams FW28
CategoryFormula One
ConstructorWilliams
Designer(s)Sam Michael (Technical Director)
Jörg Zander (Chief Designer)
Loïc Bigois (Chief Aerodynamicist)
PredecessorWilliams FW27
SuccessorWilliams FW29
Technical specifications
ChassisCarbon-fibre and honeycomb composite structure
Suspension (front)Williams carbon-fibre double wishbone arrangement, with composite toe-link and pushrod-activated torsion springs
Suspension (rear)Williams carbon-fibre double wishbone arrangement, with composite toe-link and pushrod-activated torsion springs
EngineCosworth CA2006 and Toyota RVX-06 (post-season testing only) 2.4-litre V8 (90°) naturally aspirated
TransmissionWilliams 7-speed seamless-shift sequential semi-automatic
Power755 hp @ 19,250 rpm (314.7 hp/L)[1]
FuelPetrobras
TyresBridgestone
Competition history
Notable entrantsWilliams F1 Team
Notable drivers9. Mark Webber
10. Nico Rosberg
Debut2006 Bahrain Grand Prix
RacesWinsPolesF.Laps
18001
Constructors' Championships0
Drivers' Championships0

However, 2006 was very disappointing for the team. The car was dogged by a handling problem which affected the cars on the entry to corners. Despite the effectiveness of the Cosworth engine, the Bridgestone tyres and the two drivers, the FW28 could only display brief flashes of promise. Too often this promise was compromised by poor reliability - an embarrassment for a team that prided itself on engineering excellence.

The car seemed competitive at the beginning of the year when the cars scored double points finish with Rosberg setting the fastest lap of the race on his F1 début at the Bahrain Grand Prix. An excellent second-row qualifying performance at Sepang was wasted when both cars suffered engine failures, and the season went downhill from there. Exceptions were Australia and Monaco, both races where Webber looked a contender for at least a podium finish until retiring on both occasions with hydraulics failure and an exhaust fire respectively.

A note of significance for Webber and Williams came on lap 21 of the 2006 Australian Grand Prix. By leading the lap Webber became the first Australian to have led his home grand prix since the last non-championship AGP was held in 1984.

Williams finished eighth in the Constructors' Championship - the team's lowest finish since its inaugural season in 1978.

Livery

Williams went into the 2006 season with renewed major sponsorships such as Allianz, RBS, FedEx, Reuters, ORIS, Hamleys, Budweiser, Petrobras and Castrol. Williams received new sponsorship such as Mobilecast, Tata Group and discontinued sponsorships are Hewlett & Packard.

Complete Formula One results

(key) (results in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Team Engine Tyres Drivers 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Points WCC
2006 Williams Cosworth V8 B BHR MAL AUS SMR EUR ESP MON GBR CAN USA FRA GER HUN TUR ITA CHN JPN BRA 11 8th
Mark Webber 6 Ret Ret 6 Ret 9 Ret Ret 12 Ret Ret Ret Ret 10 10 8 Ret Ret
Nico Rosberg 7 Ret Ret 11 7 11 Ret 9 Ret 9 14 Ret Ret Ret Ret 11 10 Ret

References
  • Henry, Alan (ed.) (2006). AUTOCOURSE 2006-2007. Crash Media Group. pp. 64–66. ISBN 1-905334-15-X.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
  1. https://www.grandprixengines.co.uk/Note_108.pdf

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