HONDA The Power of Dreams

After winning its first constructors' title the previous year, but missing out on the drivers' title in a dramatic season finale, Williams Honda prepared for the 1987 season the FW11B, an improved version of the FW11, in the hope of claiming both the drivers’ and constructors’ titles. The FW11B, again driven by Nelson Piquet and Nigel Mansell, looked similar to the 1986 FW11, but was actually a completely new machine, rebuilt from the monocoque up.

The main focus of improvement was the aerodynamics, and compared to the FW11, the FW11B featured a modified monocoque bulkhead that allows the driving position to flattened and the top of the driver’s helmet to be lowered. This also made it possible to lower the height of the roll bar, which must be mounted higher than the top of the helmet, to improve airflow to the rear wing. This was more of an improvement for the larger-build Nigel Mansell, as the smaller Piquet had originally had a lower roll bar from 1986. Williams was also actively developing a simple active suspension system to control ride height, and although it was not used throughout the entire season, it won the Italian GP at the hands of Piquet.

On the other hand, the RA167E, Honda’s V6 turbo engine for 1987, was designed in response to the pop-off valve regulations introduced that year. The device was introduced by the FIA to mechanically limit turbocharger boost pressure to 4 bar, since it saw no other way to control the increase in turbo power despite repeated restrictions on total fuel. Honda had introduced an intake air temperature control system in response to the pop-off values. The volumetric efficiency was improved by controlling the intake air temperature to the optimal temperature considering the vaporization of the specific fuel used, and the engine succeeded in achieving even higher rpm and compression than the previous year’s RA166E, resulting in a outlandish output of over 1000 horsepower in qualifying specifications. The FIA, failing to curb Honda’s technology, introduced further restrictions on boost pressure and fuel consumption before the 1988 season.

In the early races of the 1987 season, the Williams Honda team had fallen behind the previous year’s champion Alain Prost (McLaren TAG) and Ayrton Senna of Lotus which was Honda-powered from that year. From mid-season onward, however, the team won race after race. In the 16 races, Williams Honda won 9 (with 12 poles), an overwhelming result, and quickly clinched its second consecutive constructors’ title. The drivers’ title was won by Piquet (his third), in a tumultuous season in which Mansell crashed during qualifying for the inaugural Japanese GP at Suzuka, forced to sit out the race. Mansell also did not race in the final round in Australia, and the “Red 5” car number went to Riccardo Patrese, who was to join the team the following year.

Honda, finally claiming both the drivers’ and constructors’ titles in the same season, decided at the Italian GP in September, prior to the Japanese GP, to supply its V6 turbo engine to McLaren and Lotus from the 1988 season, declaring that it would part ways with Williams, with which it had worked since the end of 1983. The partnership had resulted in three world titles in 1986 and 1987. For Honda, it was a move to increase its chances of winning, and in fact, led to the fastest and most powerful team with Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna, winning an unimaginable 15 of 16 grands prix. The F1 scene centered on Honda engines had moved on from the four strongest contenders, Piquet, Prost, Mansell, and Senna, to the Senna-Prost era, with no room for other drivers.