By Ben Langley
On the week where Williams have released their 2026 challenger, let’s look back at one of the most iconic cars produced by the Grove constructor. The FW14B was the car that dominated the 1992 Formula 1 season, which led to a long-awaited drivers championship for Nigel Mansell as well as a constructors crown.
The car was a follow-up to the FW14 which took part in the 1991 championship with the team securing seven victories but finished fourteen points behind McLaren. However, the 1992 season saw the team get fifteen pole positions and win ten of the sixteen races as Mansell won the championship by a mammoth 52 points, with teammate Ricardo Patrese in second.
The FW14B has gained an iconic status amongst famous Formula 1 cars due to various innovative specialities. Williams’ 1992 car had many features that made their rivals lag behind. The main reason for the team’s dominance was the active suspension. This technology was supplied by AP Racing to the team, which allowed the car to be adjusted towards understeer or oversteer based on the drivers’ preferences. The system also ensured the car was always flat despite the nature of the circuits, which allowed Adrian Newey’s aerodynamic capabilities to be showcased. Newey’s role in designing the 1991 and 1992 machinery was the beginning of the designer’s illustrious career in designing championship-winning cars.
The importance of Newey to the team was evident, as Williams have only secured one title since the designer left the team in 1996. This title was the year after Newey’s departure where Damon Hill won the championship. However, since then the team has failed to win any championship.
Other key features to the FW14B’s incredible performance were its semi-automatic gearbox, anti-lock brakes and traction control. The Renault engine was another key factor to the car’s dominance. This was because the engine was lighter and significantly more reliable than its rivals Honda that powered the McLaren car. The engine was also believed to be the most powerful, something that was initially denied by the team’s second-in-command Patrick Head.
As Williams celebrates its 50th year in the Formula 1 championship, the team will be hoping that they can build on a strong 2025. They achieved their best constructors championship finish since 2017 last season as they finished in 5th. Despite the team missing the first shakedown test in Barcelona, there will be much intrigue to see how the new car gets on in the Bahrain test next week.
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