Williams Ford FW08 Williams Grand Prix Engineering Team sponsored by TAG Saudia - Swedish Formula 1 Grand Prix 1982
Car scale model kit in 1/43 scale manufactured by Tameo Kits (ref. TMK302)

The Williams FW08 had the difficult task of replacing the successful FW07, used by Williams for no less than three seasons, and with which Williams was World Champion in 1980.

One of the handicaps that the Williams engineering team, led by Patrick Head, encountered when designing the FW08 was that, unlike many of its rival teams that had switched to using turbocharged engines, Williams was forced to once again use the naturally aspirated Cosworth DFV V8 engine. This forced the design to focus on a lighter and more aerodynamically efficient car.

Designed by Neil Oatley and Frank Dernie, the FW08 was an evolution of the FW07. The aluminium monocoque chassis with a honeycomb structure was maintained, which had to be very strong to withstand the aerodynamic forces generated by the ground effects tunnels that ran along the underside of the car on both sides of the body. The FW08 was also shorter, thanks in part to the innovative four-wheel rear concept that Williams had been testing in late 1981 on a FW07 dummy unit. The idea was for the FW08 to be a six-wheeled vehicle. The benefits of this concept included reduced aerodynamic drag, improved traction, and the ability to run longer ground-effect tunnels, which therefore generated more downforce. Furthermore, the rear wing could also be mounted further back to reduce airflow disturbance. The main disadvantage was a weight increase of around 45 kg, but since the four-wheel FW08 was designed to have a final weight of just 530 kg, when the legal limit was set at 585 kg, this extra weight was not an issue.

Finally, for the 1982 season, Williams focused on the conventional four-wheeled FW08, which had already proven to be a vast improvement over the FW07 in pre-season testing. The FW08 made a late debut in the 1982 season, with Williams opting to use FW07Cs in the first three Grands Prix of the 1982 Formula One season. Following a boycott by teams running non-turbo engines at the San Marino Grand Prix, the fourth round of the year, in protest against FISA, the FW08's debut finally took place at the Belgian Grand Prix, where Rosberg took advantage of his excellent starting position (third) to cross the finish line in second place. In the remaining eleven Grands Prix, Rosberg was very consistent, using the reliable FW08 to finish in the points seven times. Among his four podium finishes was a crucial victory in the final Swiss Grand Prix, held at Dijon. These results allowed the Flying Finn to be crowned World Champion despite only achieving a single victory.

Interestingly, during the 1982 season, the six-wheel concept was tested again, this time on an FW08 chassis. Wind tunnel tests showed that, with custom-made bodywork, the six-wheel FW08B would have a 60% improvement in lift-to-drag ratio over the four-wheel FW08. With these figures, the six-wheel FW08 "B" could have outperformed the most powerful turbocharged cars even on the straights. Sadly, development stopped when the regulations were changed, prohibiting Formula 1 cars from having more than four wheels.

For the 1983 season, the rules changed, prohibiting ground-effect aerodynamics. These changes, announced very late, forced Williams to develop the FW08C, which essentially used the same monocoque as the FW08, but without the ground-effect tunnels. With these weapons, Williams and Rosberg were unable to mount an effective title defense, although they did reach an agreement with Honda to fit a factory turbocharged engine... but that's another story.