Williams FW28
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| Category | Formula One | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Constructor | Williams | ||||||||
| Designer(s) |
 Sam Michael (Technical Director) Jörg Zander (Chief Designer) Loïc Bigois (Chief Aerodynamicist) | ||||||||
| Predecessor | FW27 | ||||||||
| Successor | FW29 | ||||||||
| Technical specifications | |||||||||
| Chassis | Carbon-fibre and honeycomb composite structure | ||||||||
| Suspension (front) | Williams carbon-fibre double wishbone arrangement, with composite toelink and pushrod-activated torsion springs | ||||||||
| Suspension (rear) | Williams carbon-fibre double wishbone arrangement, with composite toelink and pushrod-activated torsion springs | ||||||||
| Engine | Cosworth CA2006 V8 (90°) naturally aspirated | ||||||||
| Transmission | Williams 7-speed seamless-shift semi-automatic | ||||||||
| Fuel | Petrobras | ||||||||
| Tyres | Bridgestone | ||||||||
| Competition history | |||||||||
| Notable entrants | Williams F1 Team | ||||||||
| Notable drivers |
9. Mark Webber 10. Nico Rosberg | ||||||||
| Debut | 2006 Bahrain Grand Prix | ||||||||
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| Constructors' Championships | 0 | ||||||||
| Drivers' Championships | 0 | ||||||||
The Williams FW28 was the car with which the Williams team competed in the 2006 Formula One season. The drivers were Mark Webber and rookie Nico Rosberg, the reigning GP2 Series champion. Webber was in his second year with the team, and teammate Nico Rosberg carried a hint of nostalgia, as Nico's father Keke had won the 1982 F1 championship in a Cosworth-engined Williams.
However, 2006 was very disappointing for the team. The car was dogged by a handling problem which affected the cars on the entry to corners. Despite the effectiveness of the Cosworth engine, the Bridgestone tyres and the two drivers, the FW28 could only display brief flashes of promise. Too often this promise was compromised by poor reliability - an embarrassment for a team which prided itself on engineering excellence.
The car seemed competitive at the beginning of the year, when the cars scored a double points finish with Rosberg setting the fastest lap of the race on his F1 début at the Bahrain Grand Prix. An excellent second-row qualifying performance at Sepang was wasted when both cars suffered engine failures, and the season went downhill from there. Exceptions were Australia and Monaco, both races where Webber looked a contender for at least a podium finish until retiring on both occasions with hydraulics failure and an exhaust fire respectively.
A note of significance for Webber and Williams came on lap 21 of the 2006 Australian Grand Prix. By leading the lap Webber became the first Australian to have led his home grand prix since the last non-championship AGP was held in 1984.
Williams finished eighth in the Constructors' Championship - the team's lowest finish since its inaugural season in 1978.
Gallery
Mark Webber at the 2006 French Grand Prix.
Nico Rosberg at the 2006 Canadian Grand Prix.
Test driver Alexander Wurz at the 2006 Canadian Grand Prix.
Complete Formula One results
(key) (results in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | Engine | Tyres | Drivers | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | Points | WCC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Williams | Cosworth V8 | B | BHR | MAL | AUS | SMR | EUR | ESP | MON | GBR | CAN | USA | FRA | GER | HUN | TUR | ITA | CHN | JPN | BRA | 11 | 8th | |
| Mark Webber | 6 | Ret | Ret | 6 | Ret | 9 | Ret | Ret | 12 | Ret | Ret | Ret | Ret | 10 | 10 | 8 | Ret | Ret | ||||||
| Nico Rosberg | 7 | Ret | Ret | 11 | 7 | 11 | Ret | 9 | Ret | 9 | 14 | Ret | Ret | Ret | Ret | 11 | 10 | Ret |
References
- Henry, Alan (ed.) (2006). AUTOCOURSE 2006-2007. Crash Media Group. pp. 64–66. ISBN 1-905334-15-X.
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