Williams FW29

Williams-Toyota FW29
Category Formula One
Constructor WilliamsF1[1]
Designer(s) Sam Michael (Technical Director)
Loïc Bigois (Chief Aerodynamicist)
Predecessor FW28
Successor FW30
Technical specifications
Chassis Carbon aramid monocoque
Suspension (front) Double wishbone with pushrod torsion spring linkage
Suspension (rear) As front.
Engine Toyota RVX-07 2396cc V8. Naturally aspirated mid-mounted
Transmission Williams/Xtrac 7-speed, semi-automatic seamless shift.
Fuel Petrobras
Tyres Bridgestone
Competition history
Notable entrants AT&T Williams
Notable drivers 16. Nico Rosberg
17. Alexander Wurz
17. Kazuki Nakajima
Debut 2007 Australian Grand Prix
Races Wins Poles Fastest laps
17 0 0 0
Constructors' Championships 0
Drivers' Championships 0

The Williams FW29 is a Formula One car, built by the WilliamsF1 team to compete in the 2007 Formula One season. It was driven by Alexander Wurz and Nico Rosberg. The car has a Toyota engine, making it only the second time in the team's history that a Japanese car manufacturer has supplied their engines; Honda had supplied the team during the period from 1983 to 1987.

Contents

Season Performance

Pre-season testing

The FW29 made its debut at the first testing session at Jerez, where Alexander Wurz completed 72 laps in the new Toyota powered car and was second fastest of a sixteen car session, only fractions slower than fastest Pedro de la Rosa of McLaren.[2] "We had two cars on track straight away with Alex and Nico," said Sam Michael, Williams' Technical Director. "Completing 611km in total on the first running day with no issues with temperatures, vibrations etc., is a good start. Motivation within the team is really high and everyone is pushing hard to get the best out of the car before the first Grand Prix. Both drivers started testing different set-up packages before midday as there are some interesting new directions with this car and the Bridgestone Potenza tyres."[2]

Livery

The FW29 continues the blue and white colour scheme set by previous Williams cars with a number of sponsors, such as RBS and Reuters, being retained for the 2007 season along with a number of new sponsors, including the team's new title sponsors AT&T as well as Lenovo, a computer manufacturer from China.[3]

Chassis

The FW29 has a number of changes from the preceding FW28. The suspension is zero keel configuration, which has become industry standard. Other notable elements of the design include another step in the undercut of the sidepod leading edge, with top louvres for cooling. The engine and exhaust have also undergone improvements to address the reliability issues experienced in 2006 and a lower and narrower top deck for improved aerodynamic efficiency. The other prominent differences from the FW28 include large chimneys expressly for cooling at the season's first three races in Australia; Malaysia and Bahrain, and a narrower engine cover spine.[3]

At the rear of the car, a twin pillar configuration supports a lighter and lower drag rear wing, now featuring FIA-mandatory slot gap separators to prevent deflection and a lower and wider rear impact structure as required by the regulations.

Complete Formula One results

(key) (results in bold indicate pole position)

Year Team Engine Tyres Drivers 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Points WCC
2007 Williams Toyota V8 B AUS MAL BHR ESP MON CAN USA FRA GBR EUR HUN TUR ITA BEL JPN CHN BRA 33 4th
Nico Rosberg 7 Ret 10 6 12 10 16 9 12 Ret 7 7 6 6 Ret 16 4
Alexander Wurz Ret 9 11 Ret 7 3 10 14 13 4 14 11 13 Ret Ret 12
Kazuki Nakajima TD TD TD TD TD 10

Footnotes

  1. ^ "The Williams-Toyota FW29 technical specification". http://www.attwilliams.com/the_car.html. Retrieved 2007-02-16. 
  2. ^ a b "First impressions - Williams is quick". GrandPrix.com. February 7, 2007. http://www.grandprix.com/ns/ns18023.html. Retrieved 2007-02-07. 
  3. ^ a b "Williams launches the FW29". f1Technical.net. February 2, 2007. http://www.f1technical.net/news/4828. Retrieved 2007-02-08.