1994 WILLIAMS
Although Williams completed its run to three consecutive teams’ titles in 1994, that relied on a phoenix-like resurrection and the fall of initial pacesetter Benetton. It all came after the ban of driver aids, with the outlawing of active suspension wounding the FW16 gravely.
Its FW15C predecessor had been tailored to work with active ride, which was fundamental to stabilising the car to make the aerodynamics tick. In 1993, Williams enjoyed statistically its quickestever season, with a 1.7% advantage over the second-best team according to the fastest laps set during each race weekend.
But when the active suspension pioneer was asked to forget the last two years of learning, the passive FW16 proved immensely troublesome early on. It was barely the pacesetter, with a 0.092% advantage, helped by Ayrton Senna’s three mighty poles early in 1994. The issue was the car’s tiny operating window, with its sensitivity to rideheight changes a particular headache as the rear unsettled over bumps in slow corners.
“The 1994 car was not a good car at all at the start of the year,” chief designer Adrian
Newey reflected. “It was very difficult to drive. We developed the aerodynamics using active suspension and we developed them [to work] in a very small window.”
Shorter sidepods arrived in France to remedy the stalling airflow, while an FW16B was ushered in for the German GP – race nine of 16. That, combined with diffuser rule changes and Michael Schumacher not being able to score in four races, ended Benetton’s charge in what remains the most heated F1 season.