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Formula 1 Features & Interviews (2006)
F1 Feature - WilliamsF1's First Taste Of Toyota
03/10/2006
A new chapter opened in the history of the WilliamsF1 Team at Silverstone last week – with test drivers Alex Wurz (above) and Narain Karthikeyan sharing the driving, the team ran a 2.4-litre Toyota V8 for the first time.
The Bridgestone-shod WilliamsF1 Team will use Toyota engines for at least the next two seasons and, significantly, this first Toyota test came two months earlier in the year than the team’s first Cosworth test of last year, when it was switching from BMW power.
This gives the team extra time to hone next year’s FW29 chassis to the intricacies of the Toyota V8.
The two-day test was primarily a systems check; a chance for the engineers to learn about the engine that it will be using next season.
And it went well: some minor electronic glitches limited running on day one, but on day two – when Wurz behind the wheel – the car completed 79 laps.
“The test was really good,” said Wurz. “We had very few problems on day two, so it turned into a proper test and we were even able to do some tyre testing with Bridgestone."
"Finding the right set-up was difficult because there was a lot of wind blowing in gusts across the track. The conditions were more suited to kite surfing than driving an F1 car, but it was still very productive.”
As well as the Toyota engine, the team ran next year’s seamless-shift seven-speed gearbox on the car, and that proved to be reliable.
“In total, we completed 745km,” said Wurz. “Everything on the car ran really well, making this a good start to the relationship with Toyota."
"We didn’t get the opportunity to test the performance of the engine, so we hope to do that at the next test in Jerez, the week after the Japanese Grand Prix.”
At Silverstone, the team also announced that Narain Karthikeyan – India’s first F1 driver – would remain as its test driver in 2007.
“Next year will be an important year for Williams,” said Karthikeyan, “with the transition to Toyota power. I am very excited about next year."
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