After designing the successful FW07, which earned Frank Williams’ team 14 wins, 1 Drivers’ Championship (with Alan Jones), and 2 Constructors’ Championships over three seasons, Patrick Head, Frank Dernie, and Neil Oatley further updated the old car. The Grove-based engineering trio made the necessary changes to adapt the car to the new regulations, starting the ’82 season with a significantly lighter version, thanks in part to the removal of ride height correctors. Like Brabham, Frank Williams' team used the water tank system, officially intended to cool the brakes but in practice used to reduce the car’s weight during the race and then restore it post-race with the permitted refilling of fluids. As with Ecclestone’s cars, the Williams entries were excluded from the final classification of the Brazilian GP for weight irregularities. After racing once more in Long Beach, the team switched to the new Williams FW08 starting at the Belgian GP in Zolder (the Imola race was boycotted by FOCA-aligned teams in protest against FISA).
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| WILLIAMS FW08, Derek Daly Brands Hatch, British GP 1982 |
Unlike other teams, Williams still opted for aluminum honeycomb chassis construction, as Head was not yet convinced of the advantages of carbon fiber over aluminum. The FW08 had a shorter wheelbase, a stubbier nose, fixed side skirts, and, in some cases, two awkward air intakes behind the driver. No major changes were made to the chassis or suspension, as the team was already planning a completely new car for 1983 when they would switch to Honda turbo engines. Dernie’s aerodynamic work was outstanding, generating so much downforce that the car could run without a front wing, improving top speed, a major advantage when combined with the car’s lightness, allowing Rosberg to compete with more powerful turbo cars.
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| WILLIAMS FW08, Derek Daly Montecarlo, Monaco GP 1982 |
The original aerodynamic engineer’s concept for the FW08 was much more “original,” featuring a 6-wheel car with all wheels the same size, 2 front and 4 rear driving wheels, not paired like the Ferrari 312T2 concept but mounted on two axles. The aim was to improve airflow under the car for more downforce while reducing drag by eliminating the large rear wheels used until then. A prototype with these specs was built and tested over the winter, but was immediately banned by the FIA, which issued a rule prohibiting four-wheel-drive cars from competing in the upcoming World Championship.
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| 3 WILLIAMS FW08B, pre-season test |
Williams had to revert to a traditional setup and revise the design. The 1982 season began with the old FW07C, driven by regular drivers Carlos Reutemann and Keke Rosberg. But after only two races, Reutemann, engaged in politics in his native Argentina, decided to retire from racing and return home, particularly after the outbreak of the Falklands War between the UK and Argentina. He was temporarily replaced by Mario Andretti and then permanently, from the fifth race (coinciding with the FW08 debut), by Derek Daly.
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| WILLIAMS FW08, Keke Rosberg Monza, Italian GP 1982 |
Only Rosberg and Daly drove the new FW08. Results were modest, with only one win (by Rosberg) and six podiums in total. Still, the transition year from naturally aspirated to turbo engines, the unreliability of rival cars, and Ferrari's tragic season (Villeneuve's death and Pironi’s severe injury in Germany) allowed Rosberg to clinch the World Championship, despite scoring just 44 points, only 5 more than Pironi, who missed the last five races. The FW08’s limited competitiveness also showed in the Constructors’ standings, where Williams finished fourth with only 58 points.
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