The major regulatory changes introduced by the federation for the 1983 season, eliminating side skirts, mandating a flat bottom, and narrowing rear wings, were only approved in mid-October 1982. This forced nearly all teams to abandon their ongoing 1983 car projects, which, as usual, had already begun in the second half of the previous season. The TAG Williams team, still searching for a turbo engine, opted to simply modify the 1982 car to comply with the new rules.
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| WILLIAMS FW08C, Keke Rosberg Montecarlo, Monaco GP 1983 |
The Williams FW08C, designed by technical director Patrick Head in collaboration with Neil Oatley and Frank Dernie, remained a very simple single-seater, derived directly from a design dating back to 1979. It featured an aluminum monocoque chassis, a Ford-Cosworth DFV V8 engine, Hewland FGA gearbox, a 2540 mm wheelbase, and a weight of 540 kg. The only notable differences were at the front, where a more prominent wing was used (often omitted in 1982), and on the sides, which, lacking venturi tunnels, became very short. The radiators were placed further back, next to the engine, to shift weight rearward and improve grip.
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| WILLIAMS FW08C, Keke Rosberg Montecarlo, Monaco GP 1983 |
The 1983 drivers were reigning World Champion Keke Rosberg from Finland and Frenchman Jacques Laffite, who left the French Ligier team to return to the team where he debuted in Formula 1 back in 1974. A third car was also entered at the European Grand Prix at Brands Hatch, driven by British driver Jonathan Palmer. The FW08C saw virtually no development during the year because Frank Williams had reached an agreement with Honda for the supply of a V6 turbo engine (already fitted in the Spirit 201), and Patrick Head's technical team was already focused on designing the future FW09.
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| WILLIAMS FW08C, Jacques Laffite Hockenheimring, German GP 1983 |
In the first half of the season, despite the car's aging design, the FW08C still performed decently, even achieving a win at Monaco with Rosberg thanks to a clever tire choice. However, it was now technically outdated and lacked a competitive engine, ultimately ending its Formula 1 story with lackluster performances, even suffering the indignity of failing to qualify on occasion. The FW08C was retired early and replaced by the FW09, which debuted at the final race of the season in South Africa.
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| WILLIAMS FW08C, Ayrton Senna Donington Park, private test July 1983 |
The FW08C also holds the distinction of being the first Formula 1 car ever driven by a young and promising Brazilian driver, Ayrton Senna, at Donington Park in July 1983. Senna completed 40 laps, clocking faster times than both Rosberg and Laffite. However, Williams couldn’t offer him a seat for 1984 as both drivers were already under contract, and Senna had already reached a preliminary agreement with the Toleman team. In 1983, the FW08C also scored another win with Rosberg at the Race of Champions at Brands Hatch, the last non-championship race ever contested by Formula 1 cars.
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