WilliamsF1

Struggle with BMW

In 1998, the team signed a long term agreement with BMW, with BMW supplying engines and expertise for a period of 10 years. As part of the deal BMW expected at least one driver to be German and Ralf Schumacher was signed. Williams sought the services of Juan Pablo Montoya as a proven racer for the 2000 season but he was initially unavailable and Jenson Button made his debut. In 1999, the team had a Williams car with a BMW engine testing at circuits, in preparation for a debut in 2000. In 2001 Button was replaced by Montoya. The BMW.WilliamsF1 relationship has resulted in 10 race victories in five years, the most recent being Juan Pablo Montoya's victory at the 2004 Brazilian GP at Interlagos.

Related Topics:
1998 - BMW - Ralf Schumacher - Juan Pablo Montoya - 2000 - Jenson Button - 2001 - Brazilian GP - Interlagos

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In 2000, Williams abandoned tobacco advertising in favour of information technology companies, as the team's primary sponsor became Compaq. That sponsorship lasted until Compaq's acquisition by Hewlett-Packard. At the 2002 British Grand Prix, the team debuted the Hewlett-Packard sponsorship. After complaints about the HP logo on the rear wing it was replaced in 2003 with the sponsor's tag line, "Invent". A worldwide television commercial featured drivers Ralf Schumacher and Juan Pablo Montoya driving their BMW Williams cars around a track seemingly by radio control from a grandstand.

Related Topics:
Compaq - Hewlett-Packard - 2002 British Grand Prix - 2003 - Ralf Schumacher - Juan Pablo Montoya

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Montoya set the pace for the team during his three seasons and was in contention for the Driver's Championship for most of the 2003 season. At the start of the 2004 season it was announced that Montoya would be moving to McLaren in 2005. The team began the season with a radical design of car that proved un-competitive and was replaced by a modified version of the 2003 car.

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For the 2005 season, Schumacher and Montoya moved to Toyota and McLaren respectively. Taking their places were Mark Webber and Nick Heidfeld. Initially Jenson Button was to have driven for Williams in 2005, but a court ruling forced Button to remain with his current team BAR. Nick Heidfeld competed with Brazillian test driver Antonio Pizzonia for the remaining racing seat during December 2004 and January 2005, and Heidfeld was chosen, partly in deference to BMW's wishes for a German driver. Pizzonia served as the test driver for the team during the 2005 season. Meanwhile, Button signed a contract to drive for Williams in 2006.

Related Topics:
Toyota - McLaren - Mark Webber - Nick Heidfeld - Jenson Button - BAR - Antonio Pizzonia - 2004 - 2005 - 2006

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During the course of the 2004 and 2005 F1 seasons, BMW Motorsport and director Mario Theissen increasingly became publicly critical of the WilliamsF1 team's inability to create a package capable of winning the constructors championship, or even multiple victories within a single season. Williams, on the other hand, blamed BMW for not producing a good enough engine. Williams' failed attempt to prize Jenson Button out of his BAR contract may also have been an issue with Theissen, as his preference was to have at least one German driver in the team. Despite Frank Williams' rare decision to cave in to commercial demands by employing German driver Nick Heidfeld when he allegedly preferred Antonio Pizzonia, the fallout between BMW and Williams continued through the 2005 Formula One season. This public deterioration of the relationship between BMW and WilliamsF1 eventually resulted in the decision by BMW Motorsport to buy Sauber and rebrand that team to feature the BMW name.

Related Topics:
BMW Motorsport - Mario Theissen - Nick Heidfeld - Antonio Pizzonia - 2005 Formula One season - Sauber

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Williams could have opted to continue with BMW engines in 2006, despite the fact that the engine manufacturer was about to set up its own team. In the end, though, WilliamsF1 opted for Cosworth V8 engines for 2006.

Related Topics:
2006 - Cosworth

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