The development of the Williams FW14 was prompted by the team's underachievement in the 1989 and 1990 seasons despite being competitive. In mid-1990, Adrian Newey, a renowned aerodynamicist, joined the team and started to work on the new car. Newey had previously designed cost-effective and efficient cars for March and was now able to apply his ideas to a fully-funded project with Williams. The FW14 was a completely new design, except for the engine, and its promising performance was enough to convince Nigel Mansell to rejoin Williams from Ferrari and delay his retirement plans.
Powered by a 3.5-litre V10 Renault engine with its design and development led by Bernard Dudot, the car is considered one of the most technologically sophisticated to have competed in Formula One. By 1992 the FW14B featured semi-automatic transmission, active suspension, traction control and, for a brief period, anti-lock brakes. With the aerodynamics as designed by Newey and the active suspension invented by designer/aerodynamicist Frank Dernie, the car was far ahead of its competitors, such as the McLaren MP4/7A, Ferrari F92A or Lotus 107, and it made for a strong package. The FW14B was so successful that its successor (the initial FW15), which was available mid-season in 1992, was never used.
The FW14 made its debut at the 1991 United States Grand Prix. The car was the most technically advanced car in competition, but various difficulties during the season stymied the team's early progress. Nigel Mansell and Riccardo Patrese recorded 7 victories between them but the Drivers' Championship was wrapped up by Ayrton Senna in the McLaren MP4/6, which had better reliability.
Williams had the faster car throughout the balance of the season and it provided a run of good form in the midseason for both Mansell and Patrese. Mansell, in particular, had several retirements due to the then new-for-Williams semi-automatic transmission, with most of these retirements occurring while in a position to win races. Patrese was impressive on several occasions and retired while leading twice. McLaren's superior reliability told in the Constructors' Championship as well, as they narrowly took the title from Williams.
For the 1992 season, the B-spec. FW14, known as the FW14B was introduced. The FW14B was the dominant car that year and Mansell wrapped up the 1992 Drivers' Championship with a then-record 9 wins in a season, whilst Patrese scored a further win at the Japanese Grand Prix. Patrese did not warm to the car as much as the FW14, as he preferred the passive suspension in that chassis, whereas the increased level of downforce generated by the FW14B suited Mansell's aggressive driving style much better. The main visible difference between the FW14 and FW14B were a pair of bulbous protrusions above the latter's front pushrods, which contained the active suspension technology. The FW14B also featured a longer nose section. The car had been present at the Australian Grand Prix the previous year, but Mansell had elected to use the regular FW14 in that race.
The FW14B is considered among the most technologically advanced racing cars to have ever raced in Formula One. The car has appeared in numerous video games, including F1 2013, F1 2017, F1 2018, F1 2019, and F1 2020. In 2017, Karun Chandhok drove a restored FW14B at Silverstone, and in 2023, Sebastian Vettel drove Nigel Mansell’s 1992 title-winning chassis at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. A Lego Icons set of the FW14B was released in March 2025, including a Nigel Mansell minifigure. A chassis, FW14/8, was sold at auction for £2,703,000 in 2019. Sebastian Vettel purchased Nigel Mansell’s no. 5 FW14B in 2020.
A total of 5 chassis were built for the FW14, and 6 chassis were built for the FW14B, numbered sequentially from the initial chassis.
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