S13 E8: The rise of Williams-BMW

Bring Back V10s looks back on the first two years of the Williams-BMW partnership in 2000 and 2001, with the help of our members!

We asked them what they wanted to know about how this partnership started across its first two years, and from that we created a list of subjects for Glenn Freeman to put to Edd Straw and Mark Hughes to explore what was going on both on track and behind the scenes.

We cover the expectations ahead of BMW's F1 return in 2000, and why there was tension between the two parties from the very beginning. We look at how the first year laid the foundation for the huge step that came from BMW in 2001 with its incredible P80 engine, and if Williams did enough on the car side to hold up its end of the bargain.

We also discuss Williams's three drivers during this time, looking at how Ralf Schumacher and Juan Pablo Montoya fit into the sometimes divided dynamic between team and engine supplier, and wonder what Jenson Button could have achieved if he'd stayed on board for 2001. 

Get bonus F1 podcasts, extra content and ad-free listening, sign-up to The Race Members' Club on Patreon today.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.