Williams FW11 - FW11

FW11

In 1986, the car won first time out in Brazil with Piquet, before Mansell laid down a title challenge with four wins. Williams were shaken by the near fatal road crash of Frank Williams which demoralised the team. Williams survived the crash but became a quadriplegic as a result, with the 1986 British Grand Prix the first time during the season he would appear in the Williams pits as he went through his rehabilitation. Patrick Head stepped up and managed the team until Williams returned late in the season. This may have caused the in-fighting between the two team mates, and the lost points helped Alain Prost take his second world championship. That and Mansell's spectacular blow out in the final race in Australia where all he had to do was finish third to win the title. The points built up between Piquet and Mansell were enough for Williams to take the constructors' championship, however.

Reportedly, both Nelson Piquet and Honda, whom it was rumored were paying the bulk of the Brazilian's USD$3.3 million retainer, left Australia none too happy with Head and Williams Management. Both believed that Piquet had been signed by Frank Williams as the undisputed number 1 driver and that the team hadn't honored their contract. Indeed, Frank Williams comment when he announced the signing of Piquet that he had just signed "The best driver in the world" seemed to support their view. Both Piquet and Honda believed that Williams should have reigned in Mansell during races and forced him to give to Piquet for race wins, and thus an easier passage to the World Championship, something that both Piquet and Honda coveted.