Williams FW20

Ahead of the season, Williams were adversely affected by the departure of Chief Designer Adrian Newey to McLaren, and Renault's withdrawal from F1 as an engine supplier. Newey and Renault had made Williams the dominant team of the early and mid-1990s. Whilst Newey had departed at the end of the 1996 season, he had directly contributed to the championship winning FW19. This made the FW20 the first non-Newey designed car since 1990. Cosmetically the FW20 resembled the FW19 with journalist Joe Saward noting the FW20 followed the same basic design concept as the FW19 with adaptations made to comply with 1998 regulations.{{cite web | url=https://www.f1technical.net/f1db/cars/817/williams-fw20 | title=Williams FW20 - F1technical.net }} The car was equipped with a Mecachrome-badged version of what was essentially the previous year's Renault engine.

In a departure from previous seasons, the white and blue Williams livery was replaced by red car. This was due to main sponsor Rothmans opting to use the space to promote sister brand Winfield.{{Cite web|url=https://www.sportcal.com/News/PressReleases/76233|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200130042435/https://www.sportcal.com/News/PressReleases/76233|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 30, 2020|title=Rothmans To Discontinue Sponsorship to Williams Formula One Team|website=www.sportcal.com|access-date=30 January 2020}}{{cite web|url=https://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/analysis-f1-win-winfield-roar-red-replaces-rothmans-king-size-blue-tobacco-giant-switches-its-formula-1-sponsorship-winfield-brand-danny-rogers-looks/57676|title=ANALYSIS: Can F1 win it for Winfield? - A roar of red replaces Rothmans' King Size blue as the tobacco giant switches its Formula 1 sponsorship to the Winfield brand. Danny Rogers looks at what may emerge from the pits|website=Campaignlive.co.uk|access-date=10 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180110175426/https://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/analysis-f1-win-winfield-roar-red-replaces-rothmans-king-size-blue-tobacco-giant-switches-its-formula-1-sponsorship-winfield-brand-danny-rogers-looks/57676|archive-date=10 January 2018|url-status=live}}

At the car's launch in January, Patrick Head and Geoff Willis admitted that the FW20 was a fairly conservative design but stressed that they were still hopeful of being competitive.{{Cite web|url=http://www.grandprix.com//features/joe-saward/technical-williams-fw20.html|title=Williams FW20|website=www.grandprix.com|access-date=30 January 2020}}{{Cite web |title=Williams FW20 Launched|url=https://www.crash.net/f1/news/32468/1/williams-fw20-launched|website=crash.net}}

File:Jacques Villeneuve 1998 Italy.jpg

Williams began testing the FW20 ahead of the launch in January 1998, utilising parts from the new car and previous seasons FW19. A key change between seasons was the introduction of grooved tyres, although Williams remained with supplier Goodyear.{{Cite web |title=Barcelona F1 Testing - Williams|url=https://www.crash.net/f1/news/32452/1/barcelona-f1-testing-williams|website=crash.net}} At the opening round in Melbourne, Frentzen finished third albeit a lap down on the leading two McLaren's.{{Cite web |title=Rewind: McLaren's 1998 switch sparks controversy|url=https://www.grandprix.com.au/fan-zone/news/rewind-mclarens-1998-switch-sparks-controversy|website=grandprix.com.au}} Overall however, this would be one of the few highlights of the FW20 during 1998.

Villenueve struggled to defend his title with the non-competitive FW20. He scored points at nine {{Not a typo|Grands Prix}} with season-high third place finishes at the {{F1GP|1998|German}} and the {{F1GP|1998|Hungarian}}. During practice for the {{F1GP|1998|Belgian}}, he lost control of his car in Eau Rouge corner and crashed backwards into the barrier at approximately {{Convert|170|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}. Villeneuve was unhurt.{{Sfn|Sparling|1999|pp=74–77}} With 21 points, he finished fifth in the Drivers' Championship.{{Sfn|Downey|1998|pp=7, 20, 126}}

For Frentzen, the opening round podium would be his season highlight, scoring points only on six further occasions with a high of fourth place in Belgium. The German driver suffered five consecutive DNF's including two collisions in Monaco with Eddie Irvine at Lowes hairpin, and at Canada where a clash with Michael Schumacher saw him spin and retire.{{Cite web |title=Monaco Grand Prix Review|url=https://atlasf1.autosport.com/98/mon/galvin.html|website=autosport.com}}{{Cite web |title=Canadian Grand Prix Review|url=https://www.atlasf1.com/98/can/galvin.html|website=autosport.com}}

1998 was Williams first season without a win since 1988 and they would finish a distant third behind McLaren and Ferrari in the constructors championship.{{Cite web|url=https://www.carthrottle.com/post/vrvo6po/|title=Beginning of the end- Williams FW20 #blogpost|website=Car Throttle|date=22 February 2019 |access-date=30 January 2020}}{{Cite web |title=Williams 1998|url=https://www.statsf1.com/en/williams/grand-prix-1998.aspx|website=statsf1.com}}{{Cite web |title=1998 End of the Year Report|url=https://atlasf1.autosport.com/98/nov11/horton.html|website=autosport.com}} At the end of the season, Villeneuve and Frentzen would depart for British American Racing and Jordan Grand Prix respectively.{{Cite web|url=http://atlasf1.autosport.com/98/nov25/horton.html|title=The Revolving Door of Williams|website=atlasf1.autosport.com|access-date=30 January 2020}}

At the end of the season, Williams new 1999 drivers Ralf Schumacher and Alex Zanardi tested the FW20 at Barcelona, with Schumacher scoring table topping times.{{Cite web |title=News wrap-up for this week's testing|url=https://atlasf1.autosport.com/news/1998/1037a.htm|website=autosport.com}} The FW20 would also be tested by Juan Pablo Montoya, Tommi Mäkinen and Mick Doohan.{{Cite web |title=Formula One testing 1998|url=https://www.unracedf1.com/overview-formula-one-testing-in-1998/|website=unracedf1.com}}

Williams used 'Winfield' logos, except at the French, British and German Grands Prix, it was replaced with a Winfield kangaroo emblem and a leaping kangaroo. In French, Veltins logo was completely removed.

The Universal Studios and Woody Woodpecker logos was featured on the nose cone in certain Grands Prix. At the Australian Grand Prix, the team promoted the film, Blues Brothers 2000, also featured on the nose cone.

On December 1999, an FW20 was painted in white livery, fitted with a BMW V10 engine and ran on Bridgestone tyres. The car was test driven by Jörg Müller.

(key) (results in bold indicate pole position)

{{reflist}}

• AUTOCOURSE 1998-99, Henry, Alan (ed.), Hazleton Publishing Ltd. (1998) {{ISBN|1-874557-43-8}}
• {{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/formulaoneyearbo00dkpu|title=1998 Formula One Yearbook: Chronicle of the Grand Prix Year|publisher=Dorling Kindersley|year=1998|isbn=0-7894-3754-6|editor-last=Downey|editor-first=Michael|location=London, England|url-access=registration|via=Open Library}}
• {{cite book|last=Sparling|first=Ken|title=Champion Sport Biographies: Jacques Villeneuve|url=https://archive.org/details/jacquesvilleneuv0000spar|year=1999|publisher=Warwick Publishing|location=Toronto, Ontario|isbn=978-1-894020-57-2|url-access=registration|via=Open Library}}

{{commons category inline|Williams FW20}}

{{Williams}}

{{F1 cars 1998}}

Category:Williams Formula One cars

Category:1998 Formula One season cars

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