During 1999, the agreement between the English Williams team and BMW was announced for the exclusive supply of the new Bavarian V10 planned for the 2000 season. In the last months of 1999, in fact, BMW completed the preparation of its new E41/4 engine and decided, together with Williams, to install it on the chassis of the '99 FW21 to carry out a test at Zeltweg on the A1 Ring circuit with BMW test driver Jörg Müller at the wheel. This was only the beginning of a partnership that would last until 2005 and that would allow Williams to return to being a protagonist in Formula 1, as well as BMW itself to be once again at the top of the top series after the successes achieved in the '80s with its 4-cylinder in-line M12/13 L4T turbo mounted on the World Champion Brabham BT52 with Nelson Piquet.
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| WILLIAMS FW22, Ralf Schumacher Suzuka, Japanese GP 2000 |
BMW's entry is not only marginal as a simple engine supplier but represents a real collaboration between the Grove team and the Bavarian giant. On January 10, 2000, the team is officially presented in Munich by Wolfgang Ziebart, member of the board of management of BMW AG Motorsport, and is named BMW Williams Formula One Team. The partnership with BMW also means for Williams greater economic resources to invest in research and development, as well as new and capable technicians arriving from the Bavarian house. The new FW22 is presented on January 24 at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona, Spain, and does not represent a revolution but a simple evolution of the previous FW21, given that the first year with BMW can only be considered an apprenticeship for the German engine manufacturer's return to Formula 1.
WILLIAMS FW22, Jenson Button
Hungaroing, Hungarian GP 2000
Led by the usual Technical Director Patrick Head, the design of the new single-seater is still entrusted to Gavin Fisher and Geoff Willis. Brian O'Roake still holds the role of Chief Engineer for Composite Materials, Mark Tatham is still the Chief Mechanical Engineer, while for the increasingly important aerodynamic section there are still Jason Sommerville and Nick Alcock. This group of engineers, together since 1997, represents a well-tested group to which are added the two German engineers Paul Rosche and Werner Laurenz arriving from BMW and aggregated to the English team as Chief Engine Designer the first and Engine Technical Director the second. The philosophy of Fischer and Willis at the base of the design of the FW22, is an evolution of the previous design studied in the wind tunnel, despite the poor performance of the FW21 of '99 which however derived from the principles of the winning single-seaters designed by Newey and based on solid foundations. All the changes on the new car are therefore made specifically to accommodate the new E41/4 BMW, a V10 with a 72° angle between the banks. In the development phase, the new German engine only develops 750hp at 17,000 rpm but after just a few months its performance increases significantly, reaching 810hp at 17,500 rpm. Unfortunately for the Williams engineers, the new BMW engine is much bulkier and heavier than the previous Supertec-Renault, forcing them to completely review the weight distribution as well as the suspension department.
WILLIAMS FW22, Janson Button
Nürburgring, European GP 2000
The wheelbase of the car is increased by 7cm, as well as completely redesigned the chassis, made with a carbon and aramid epoxy composite and on which the engine is mounted as a stressed element. The gearbox is also completely new, a classic semi-automatic sequential always made by Williams but for the first time with seven gears on Grove's single-seaters. The nose and side pods are very similar to those of the FW21 even if with slightly more rounded shapes, the flow diverters in front of the vents of the pods disappear but the work done in the wind tunnel can be seen in the new shapes of the lower part of the nose, no longer linear but with complex shapes to better direct the flows towards the underbody. The rear wing is connected to the bodywork via two bulkheads and on high-load circuits it is equipped with additional flaps as well as adding small fins positioned in front of the rear wheels and on the upper part of the engine hood. Following the entry of BMW and the new main sponsor Compaq, the livery of Grove's single-seaters has also changed, now featuring the classic white and blue colours of the German manufacturer, with a colour combination that is very reminiscent of the winning Brabham-BMWs of the 1980s.
WILLIAMS FW22, Ralf Schumacher
Spa-Francorchamps, Belgian GP 2000
On the drivers' front, the German Ralf Schumacher was confirmed and for the second driver, after the disappointing interlude with the two-time Cart Champion Alessandro Zanardi, it was decided to focus on a rookie, the promising British driver Jenson Button. Despite the many new features, the new FW22 proved to be a good car, fast and high-performance even if not able to compete with the Ferraris and McLaren-Mercedes. In the hands of Schumacher, it also obtained three low podiums, one in the first race of the Championship in Australia, as well as five other points finishes. Button also managed to make the most of the FW22, finishing in the points on six occasions, an excellent result for a rookie. The excellent performance of the engine and the good qualities of the FW22 allowed the BMW-Williams team to obtain 36 points and to classify in third place in the Constructors' Standings, bringing an injection of confidence to the team in view of the 2001 season.
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