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2001
Williams FW23
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The BMW WilliamsF1 Team today unveiled its' 2001 challenger, the FW23, at the Silverstone circuit in Northamptonshire (UK). The FW23 will contest the 2001 season with a clear target to close the gap against the established front runners and to defend the team's third place in the FIA Formula One Constructors World Championship. A team led by Geoff Willis (Chief Aerodynamicist) and Gavin Fisher (Chief Designer) designed the chassis that is being powered by a new BMW V10 engine. Drivers Ralf Schumacher and Juan Pablo Montoya will contest the 2001 season with test driver Marc Gene playing an important role in the FW23's development over the course of the year.
"Much is expected of the partnership in 2001 and everybody at the BMW WilliamsF1 Team is aware of this important responsibility," says Frank Williams, Team Principal.
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Juan
Montoya and Ralf Schumacher
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For 2001 the BMW WilliamsF1 Team have the challenge of new aerodynamic limitations (the largest change since '97), substantially more rigorous structural and impact tests, a new engine and a new
tire partner in Michelin. Geoff Willis explains: "The FW23 is, in concept, an evolution of the FW22 with developments and improvements for the new engine installation and gearbox and a large number of changes reflecting the impact of the new regulations."
Patrick Head, Technical Director of WilliamsF1, goes on to add: "The FW23 will build on the progress made over the last two years and have a visual similarity to the successful FW22 2000 car. The aerodynamics of the car have been
optimized around the new regulations, and we hope that this car and engine will permit our drivers to challenge for race wins in 2001." Mario Theissen, BMW Motorsport Director, says "the new smaller and lighter engine from BMW will assist with the chassis dynamics as well as providing greater power."
"It is highly unlikely that we will be able to completely close the gap with the established front-runners in our second season with WilliamsF1," says BMW Motorsport Director Gerhard Berger. "But we want to improve our performance so as to be ready and waiting to pounce as soon as one of the Ferraris or McLarens run into problems.
"We had a reasonably successful season last year, particularly considering it was our first with BMW, " says Gavin Fisher. "However, it was clear that we still needed to make considerable progress to regularly compete with, and ultimately beat, McLaren and Ferrari."
Geoff Willis
"For 2001 we have the challenge of new aerodynamic limitations (the largest change since '97), substantially more rigorous structural and impact tests, a new engine from BMW and a new
tire partner in Michelin. The FW23 is, in concept, an evolution of the FW22 with developments and improvements for the new engine installation and gearbox and a large number of changes reflecting the impact of the new regulations. Externally the most visible effects of the regulations are the reduced number of rear wing elements, the longer and higher sidepods and the higher front wing. However the new regulations have forced us to re-examine every area of the car and have resulted in some interesting discoveries.
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Drivers
Ralf Schumacher and Juan Montoya
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We started eight months ago in the wind tunnel with a fairly large retrograde step in performance as we converted the FW22 to 2001 rules, so we are pleased with the amount of performance we have recovered so far. By the beginning of the season it is likely that the performance of all the cars on the grid will be close to that of the 2000 season. However the pace of development next year will be probably greater than that with the FW22 as we explore the new rules further. As always, the true measure of our relative performance will first be made clear at Melbourne.
The determination for 2001 is to build upon the many strengths of the FW22 and to 'raise our game' to enable the FW23 to accelerate our return to winning ways."
Gavin Fisher
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BMW power
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"We had a reasonably successful season last year, particularly considering it was our first with BMW. However, it was clear that we still needed to make considerable progress to regularly compete with, and ultimately beat, McLaren and Ferrari.
As always we have reviewed every aspect of our car and focused our attention to the areas that most needed improvement. The 2001 season sees a number of significant regulation changes, and in particular those relating to chassis integrity will further increase driver safety. We have spent considerable effort and resource in ensuring that we satisfy these new regulations with the optimum structures.
We also have a new tire partner for 2001 in Michelin. We have worked on a dedicated development
program to support Michelin's entry into F1, and to ensure that our car evolves in conjunction with their
tires. It will be an absolute necessity that WilliamsF1, BMW, and Michelin all perform to the highest level in order to regain the number one spot in Formula One."
Technical specifications
Transmission
WilliamsF1 semi-automatic
Clutch
AP
Chassis
Carbon Aramid epoxy composite, manufactured by WilliamsF1
Suspension
WilliamsF1
Steering
WilliamsF1
Cooling System
Two water radiators, two oil radiators either side of the chassis
Brakes
Carbon discs and pads operated by AP calipers
Lubricants
Castrol
Fuel
Petrobras
Wheels
13 x 12 front, 13 x 13.7 rear
Tires
Michelin Pilot
Cockpit Instrumentation
WilliamsF1 digital data display
Steering Wheel
WilliamsF1
Driver's Seat
Anatomically formed in carbon/epoxy composite material with Alcantara covering
Extinguisher Systems
WilliamsF1/Safety Devices
Paint System
DuPont Cromax
Weight
600 kg including driver and camera
Overall Car Length
4540 millimeters
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