Filed under: Motorsports, Safety
Williams ditch Barcelona tests after Nakajima crash
Click to view the new Williams FW30 in our hi-res image gallery
Williams F1 had to cut things short yesterday in Barcelona, where Formula One teams were undergoing developmental testing in advance of the upcoming F1 season. While testing the promising new FW30 on Friday, Williams driver Kazuki Nakajima went off course and hit a barrier at full speed, destroying the front of the car. The gravel run-off area had been paved over. Fortunately, in a testament to the safety structures of a modern grand prix car, Nakajima was able to get out of the car and walked away unscathed.
The problem was attributed to aerodynamic issues with that odd-looking front wing. The team flew in replacement parts from its headquarters in the UK on team principal Frank Williams' own private jet in an attempt to rectify the problem and get back on schedule, but after several laps, both Nakajima and his team-mate Nico Rosberg reported unstable front-end handling, so the team packed it up. You can bet Williams will be working hard at getting the front wing issue rectified so that they can continue motoring ahead towards the start of the season in Australia in 41 days and counting.
[Source: Autosport, Photo by Bryn Lennon/Getty]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Mobius_1 10:34AM (2/04/2008)
That is NOT the way to prepare for a season
Reply
John Johnson 10:41AM (2/04/2008)
"Hey guys, let's skip wind tunnel testing. The hell with downforce."
Incredible that he made it out of that car, though. At least we know that front wing is good for crash absorption :).
Reply
Eric Aitala 10:42AM (2/04/2008)
I'm not quite sure what 'odd-looking front wing' means - the pic above shows a pretty standard bridge wing that has been the recent trend of all F1 teams since McLaren introduced it...
Eric
Reply
Tom Winch 2:12AM (2/05/2008)
If you look closer at the hi-res images of the wing you can see it's the 3 piece lower element that makes this wing different and "odd looking".
Tele 10:42AM (2/04/2008)
Just a friendly tip, but you might want to change "yesterday" to "Friday." And the crash was due to a faulty front wing mount, not necessarily the wing itself.
Reply
Craig 5:02PM (2/04/2008)
"The gravel run-off area had been paved over."
That was mentioned as if it contributed to the seriousness of the crash, when in fact it has been found that paved run off areas slow cars down more than bouncing through gravel.
Reply
DIRETTORE 8:25PM (2/04/2008)
* This REALLY Pss's me OFF!
Why can these guys crash @ > 300 KM/H & walk away, when the rest of us proletariats wind up in a wheelchair in the parking lot???!!!
If they can walk away at 300 KM/H, we should be able to walk away at > 200 KM/H AT LEAST - NO EXCUSES, NO EXPLANATIONS Please.
Your Health & Safety is NOT OPTIONAL
Reply
steveo391 11:35PM (2/04/2008)
And an f1 car costs how much??? Your car cost you what 30k new? If you want to (or can afford to) pay that much than go for it. Me I'll take my chances
Reply