The 1985 season marked the second full year of Honda’s supply of powerful RA163-E V6 turbo engines to the Williams team, fitted to the new Williams FW10. The previous season, the FW09 struggled to handle the immense power of the Japanese engine, resulting in drivability issues for drivers Rosberg and Laffite throughout the championship.
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| WILLIAMS FW10, Nigel Mansell Brands Hatch, European GP 1985 |
For 1985, technical director Patrick Head, assisted by Enrique Scalabroni, designed an entirely new chassis: a full carbon-fiber monocoque, replacing the aluminum-carbon hybrid of the FW09. This approach, first introduced by McLaren in 1981 with the MP4, was later adopted by all teams for its clear benefits in lightness and rigidity. Mechanically, the FW10 borrowed heavily from the previous car, but aerodynamicist Frank Dernie refined the bodywork with a sharper nose and smoother sidepods inspired by McLaren's MP4/2 design.
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| WILLIAMS FW10, Keke Rosberg Silverstone, British GP 1985 |
The rear end also evolved, with a new rear wing, now without the small side wings banned by regulations, and a bottle-shaped tapering of the engine cover already seen on the "B" version of the FW09 at the end of 1984. The banning of in-race refueling required a larger fuel tank, lengthening the wheelbase from 2769 mm to 2794 mm and adding 5 kg to the car’s weight, more than offset by the massive output of the Honda V6 turbo, which, in its upgraded 165-E spec introduced mid-season, produced 900 hp in race trim and over 1000 hp in qualifying.
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| WILLIAMS FW10, Keke Rosberg Spa-Francorschamps, Belgian GP 1985 |
Despite this enormous power, new smaller turbines made power delivery much smoother, as noted by 1985 drivers Keke Rosberg and Nigel Mansell, who both found the FW10 more manageable and easier to drive thanks to the new carbon chassis. As a testament to Honda’s commitment, they requested a complete FW10 chassis in Japan to perform their own testing with Honda test driver Satoru Nakajima.
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| WILLIAMS FW10, Nigel Mansell Brands Hatch, European GP 1985 |
With all these improvements, 1985 was a rebirth year for Williams, achieving 4 wins, 3 second places, and 1 third, totaling 71 points and securing third place in the championship standings for both Rosberg and the team. Another novelty for Williams was the change in livery: after eight years of white and green, the team adopted the iconic yellow-white-blue color scheme, which would become a hallmark until 1993, accompanying three drivers' titles and four constructors' championships. The FW10 laid the groundwork for the crucial developments of 1986 and 1987, when the Williams FW011, powered by the Honda V6 turbo, would become the car to beat. A fun curiosity about Mansell’s car: starting mid-season, his number 5 was painted red rather than white, a detail that would become the famous "Red 5" symbol throughout his career, even beyond Formula 1.
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