After the failure of the BT55 project and Gordon Murray’s move to McLaren, Brabham brought the new BT56 to the track in 1987, the first Brabham car not designed by Murray since 1974. The design of the new single-seater was entrusted to John Baldwin and Sergio Rinland, who, after contributing to the creation of the Williams FW11, could provide significant help in building a competitive car. The BT56’s appearance was more conventional; the low and sleek design of the BT55 was abandoned, and the new car returned to a more classic shape, with a still very low and pointed nose, but with sidepods reminiscent of those on the McLaren MP4/2, featuring the characteristic bulge for hot air exhaust.
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| BRABHAM BT56, Riccardo Patrese Silverstone, British GP 1987 |
The rear bodywork, with the traditional bottle-neck tapering, completely enclosed the engine and gearbox, giving the car a clean overall look. The carbon monocoque chassis was derived from that of the BT55, as was the Weismann/Brabham gearbox, which returned to a 6-speed layout after the countless problems experienced in 1986 with the 7-speed version. The BT56’s wheelbase was significantly shortened, measuring 2832 mm compared to the BT55’s 3048 mm. The car weighed 545 kg, and the suspension retained the pull-rod configuration at the front and push-rod at the rear. Despite the engineers’ efforts, the BT56 was still not on par with the top competitors, mainly due to the underperforming BMW engine tilted at 72°, a design Murray had insisted on to accommodate his idea of a particularly “flat” car.
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| BRABHAM BT56, Riccardo Patrese Monza, Italian GP 1987 |
Moreover, at the end of 1986, BMW officially withdrew from Formula 1, transferring its turbo engine project to Arrows. That engine was acquired with funds from new sponsor USF&G and managed by Swiss engineer Heini Mader, leaving Brabham “officially” without an engine to use in 1987. After losing sponsor Parmalat, Bernie Ecclestone, owner of Brabham and Executive Director of the Formula One Constructors Association (FOCA), which managed the commercial rights of F1, had to intervene directly to prevent the loss of the BMW turbo engine supply. He forced the Bavarian manufacturer to honor the existing contract through the end of 1987. BMW, in order to avoid penalties and especially to protect its reputation, agreed to continue supplying the 1986-spec engine but without introducing any developments during the season.
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| BRABHAM BT56, Andrea de Cesaris Jerez, Spanish GP 1987 |
That season, Riccardo Patrese was confirmed as driver and was joined by Andrea de Cesaris, but both Italians had to contend with a car that, while capable of decent performance, was extremely unreliable. Patrese saw the checkered flag only four times, though he managed to achieve one third-place and one fifth-place finish. De Cesaris suffered 14 retirements due to mechanical failures in 16 starts but still managed to finish third in one race. In the final race of the season in Australia, Patrese, already under contract with Williams for 1988, replaced the injured Nigel Mansell in the FW11. His spot at Brabham was filled by fellow Italian Stefano Modena, who, unsurprisingly, suffered yet another mechanical failure in the BT56.
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| BRABHAM BT56, Andrea de Cesaris Spa-Francorchamps, Belgian GP 1987 |
Brabham finished ninth in the Constructors’ Championship with 10 points. At the end of the season, the departure of engine supplier BMW, the absence of a main sponsor, and above all, Bernie Ecclestone’s waning interest in running a team, given his growing focus on managing the entire Formula 1 circus, led him to decide not to enter his team in the following season. Unable to secure a contract for a competitive engine during the hiatus, Ecclestone sold the team to Walter Brun’s EuroBrun, which shortly thereafter resold it to Swiss financier Joachim Lüthi, who resumed the team’s racing activity in 1989.
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