Iso-Marlboro IR
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Iso-Marlboro IR is the model name of three Formula 1 racing cars that the British motorsport team Frank Williams Racing Cars constructed in 1973 and competed in the Formula 1 World Championship from 1973 to 1975 . The name of the vehicle is derived from the Italian sports car manufacturer Iso Rivolta and the cigarette brand Marlboro , which financed the development and use of the vehicle. The three copies of the model series are largely identical. In 1974 the model name was changed to Iso-Marlboro FW , and in 1975 two of the cars had the model name Williams FW .
background
In 1973 and 1974 a total of three vehicles were built on the basis of a design by John Clarke , which hardly differed from one another technically. The cars were made at a time when the Williams team was financially troubled. It could not afford test drives, could not maintain the cars properly at times and was regularly dependent on the use of paydrivers . In three years, the cars took part in 56 races and were driven by a total of 18 different racing drivers. The most successful example was the FW03, with which Arturo Merzario came fourth in the Italian Grand Prix .
nomenclature
The name Iso-Marlboro IR used in 1973 is derived from Iso Rivolta and the cigarette brand Marlboro, which financed the development and use of the vehicle. The following numbers denote the individual chassis, not a series. It was only with the Williams FW04 from 1975 that the team began to combine several units of a series under a single name.
When Iso fell into arrears due to economic difficulties at the beginning of 1974, Williams changed the model name to Iso-Marlboro FW02 (FW for Frank Williams). After Iso Rivolta's bankruptcy in 1975, the brand name of the model family was changed from Iso-Marlboro to Williams.
The individual chassis
Chassis 01
The first chassis appeared at the Spanish Grand Prix under the name Iso-Marlboro IR1 . In the 1974 season it was reported as the Iso-Marlboro FW01 . In 1975 the car no longer appeared.
Chassis 02
The second chassis appeared as Iso-Marlboro IR2 also in Spain in 1973. At the 1973 German Grand Prix it was destroyed in an accident. In the following years Williams built a new chassis, which was also given the designation IR2. In 1974 it was reported as the Iso-Marlboro FW02 , and in 1975 it appeared as the Williams FW02 .
Chassis 03
The third chassis first appeared at the Spanish Grand Prix . On its debut it was called the Iso-Marlboro FW03 , in 1975 it was called the Williams FW03 . After an accident it was rebuilt for the 1975 Austrian Grand Prix; the new vehicle kept chassis number 03.
Re-use
In 1975 the IR series was replaced by the Williams FW04. The car used some components of the now decommissioned models IR1 / FW01 and IR2 / FW02. The FW03, on the other hand, was sold to the Swiss racing driver Loris Kessel in autumn 1975 . Kessel made some detailed changes to the body and reported the car to the Italy in 1976 and 1977 under the name Apollon-Williams . In both cases there was no participation in the race.
literature
- Adriano Cimarosti: The Century of Racing. Cars, tracks and pilots. Motorbuch-Verlag, Stuttgart 1997, ISBN 3-613-01848-9 .
- Maurice Hamilton: Frank Williams. The inside story of the man behind the Williams-Renault. Macmillan, London 1998, ISBN 0-333-71716-3 .
- David Hodges: Racing cars from A – Z after 1945. Motorbuch-Verlag, Stuttgart 1994, ISBN 3-613-01477-7 .
- David Hodges: A – Z of Grand Prix Cars. Crowood Press, Marlborough 2001, ISBN 1-86126-339-2 (English).
- Pierre Ménard: La Grande Encyclopédie de la Formule 1st 2nd edition. Chronosports, St. Sulpice 2000, ISBN 2-940125-45-7 (French).
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Overview of the racing history of the Iso-Marlboro IR1 / FW01 on the website www.oldracingcars.com (accessed on October 8, 2013).
- ↑ Overview of the racing history of the Iso-Marlboro IR2 / FW02 / Williams FW02 on the website www.oldracingcars.com (accessed on October 8, 2013).
- ↑ There was no vehicle with the designation Iso-Marlboro IR3.
- ↑ Overview of the racing history of the Iso-Marlboro FW03 / Williams FW03 on www.oldracingcars.com (accessed on October 8, 2013).
- ^ David Hodges: Rennwagen from AZ after 1945. 1994, p. 264.
- ^ David Hodges: AZ of Grand Prix Cars. 2001, p. 18.