The race debut of the Williams FW13 took place at the end of the 1989 season, more precisely during the Portuguese Grand Prix weekend at the Estoril circuit. However, due to the limited testing of the new car, Frank Williams' team paid the price, with both cars forced to retire. After the inevitable fine-tuning of the car, in the last two races of the season, the FW13 showcased the strengths of the design by Patrick Head, Eghbal Hamidy, and Enrique Scalabroni, who at the end of the season left the British team for Ferrari, achieving a win and a third place with Thierry Boutsen, and a second and a third place with Riccardo Patrese, positioning itself as the car to beat in 1990.
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| WILLIAMS FW13B, Thierry Boutsen Montecarlo, Monaco GP 1990 |
In preparation for the new season, the Grove-based team didn’t revolutionize the FW13 but simply updated it to the “B” version. The suspension geometry was revised, while retaining the push-rod layout, and the sidepods were made slightly larger to house the bigger radiators required by the upgraded Renault V10 engine, now at the RS2 specification. As with the version seen at the end of 1989, the FW13B’s engine cover didn’t fully enclose the rear of the car, unlike the approach taken by Ferrari, McLaren, and many others. The suspension and the six-speed Hewland gearbox, modified by Williams engineers, remained exposed.
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| WILLIAMS FW13B, Riccardo Patrese Monza, Italian GP 1990 |
The FW13B proved to be both fast and reliable, so much so that both drivers retained from the 1989 season achieved strong performances right from the start. Patrese claimed victory in the third race of the season at Imola, and his teammate Boutsen won in Hungary, the tenth round of the championship. With Scalabroni’s move to Ferrari, Patrick Head identified Adrian Newey as the new engineer to lead the FW14 project for 1991. Newey’s arrival at Grove mid-season brought a wave of enthusiasm to the team, which subsequently secured an almost uninterrupted series of points finishes from the ninth race onwards.
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| WILLIAMS FW13B, Thierry Boutsen Silverstone, British GP 1990 |
Despite two wins, two additional podiums, several points finishes, one pole position, five fastest laps in races, and a total of 57 points scored by the FW13B, the Williams team only finished fourth in the Constructors' Championship. Nevertheless, the general consensus among insiders was that the FW13B was the fastest car on the grid in 1990, possibly held back only by the still underpowered French engine. Even though the Renault V10, designed by Bernard Dudot (the father of the turbocharged V6 from the '70s), had been updated to the RS2 spec, it still lacked about 40 horsepower compared to the more powerful Ferrari and Honda engines. The general opinion was also that the only thing preventing the FW13B from consistently challenging McLaren and Ferrari for the title was the absence of a true top-tier driver capable of fully exploiting the car’s potential, something neither Patrese nor Boutsen were believed to possess.
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| WILLIAMS FW13B, Thierry Boutsen Interlagos, Brazilian GP 1990 |
For this reason, at the end of the season, Frank Williams pushed to bring Nigel Mansell back to Grove. During a private test held after the season had ended, using Boutsen’s car, Mansell requested several changes, particularly to the suspension setup. With the car adjusted to his preferences, the British driver significantly improved its performance, confirming the general public’s opinion.
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