After a difficult 1984 F1 season where the Williams FW09 struggled to cope with the sheer brute force of the Honda turbo, For 1985 the FW10, designed by Frank Dernie, and made from carbon composite, in-house at Williams’ new factory in Didcot, Oxfordshire was primarily focussed on improving handling, and better accommodating the Honda Engine.
Keke Rosberg was retained from 1984, and he was partnered with new team mate Englishman Nigel Mansell.
The FW10 was known as being a good all-rounder, in that it was competitive at most circuits and Mid-season the season a ‘B’ version of the car was introduced. This allowed the team finish strongly, securing third place in the World Constructors Championship, thanks to wins by Rosberg in Detroit and Adelaide (his last in Formula 1), and Nigel Mansell taking his first wins in Formula 1 at Brands Hatch in that year’s European Grand Prix and the South African Grand Prix at Kylami.
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