Brabham BT56
| Category | Formula One | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Constructor | Brabham | ||||||||
| Designer(s) |
John Baldwin Sergio Rinland | ||||||||
| Predecessor | BT55 | ||||||||
| Successor | BT58 | ||||||||
| Technical specifications[1] | |||||||||
| Chassis | Carbon fibre and Kevlar composite monocoque | ||||||||
| Suspension (front) | Pullrod double wishbone | ||||||||
| Suspension (rear) | Pushrod double wishbone | ||||||||
| Axle track |
Front: 1,778 mm (70.0 in) Rear: 1,651 mm (65.0 in) | ||||||||
| Wheelbase | 2,832 mm (111.5 in) | ||||||||
| Engine | BMW M12/13, 1,499 cc (91.5 cu in), Straight 4, turbo (4.0 Bar limited), mid-engine, longitudinally mounted | ||||||||
| Transmission | Brabham / Weismann 6-speed manual | ||||||||
| Weight | 545 kg (1,202 lb) | ||||||||
| Fuel | Castrol | ||||||||
| Tyres | Goodyear | ||||||||
| Competition history | |||||||||
| Notable entrants | Motor Racing Developments | ||||||||
| Notable drivers |
7. Riccardo Patrese7. Stefano Modena8. Andrea de Cesaris | ||||||||
| Debut | 1987 Brazilian Grand Prix | ||||||||
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| Constructors' Championships | 0 | ||||||||
| Drivers' Championships | 0 | ||||||||
The Brabham BT56 was a Formula One car designed by John Baldwin and Sergio Rinland and raced by the Brabham team in the 1987 Formula One season. The car was powered by the straight 4 turbocharged BMW engine and raced on Goodyear tyres. Brabham finished 8th in the 1987 Constructors Championship with 10 points scored. It was driven by Andrea de Cesaris, Riccardo Patrese and Stefano Modena; both de Cesaris and Patres scored a 3rd place driving the BT56.
After a disappointing 1986 season with the BT55, the team reverted to a more conventional design in 1987. Long time Brabham designer Gordon Murray had moved to McLaren leaving the BT56 as the first Brabham car not designed by Murray since the Ralph Bellamy designed Brabham BT37 that raced in the 1972 and 1973 seasons. The BT56 was not a very competitive car; although it was quicker than some others it was nowhere near as competitive as the Williams, McLaren, Ferrari or Lotus cars that year. It was also a very unreliable car; of the 16 races, Patrese finished 6 races, and de Cesaris only finished one race- which was his third place at the Belgian Grand Prix that year; although he had a bad reputation for crashing, most of his retirements were due to mechanical failures, but some suspected that this was down to his questionable temperament and his harsh treatment of the car. Patrese also managed a third place in Mexico, although earlier in the season he had been unlucky to lose second place at the San Marino Grand Prix with alternator failure.
This was the last Brabham to use a turbocharged engine. It was also the last Brabham designed while longtime owner Bernie Ecclestone ran the team- he sold the team for US $5 million to a Swiss businessman at the end of 1987 after buying it in 1972 for US $120,000 from the team's co-founder Ron Tauranac. Brabham would actually not appear on the Formula One grids through the 1988 season and would return in 1989 with the naturally aspirated Judd V8 powered Brabham BT58.
Complete Formula One results
(key)
| Year | Entrant | Engine | Tyres | Drivers | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | Pts. | WCC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Motor Racing Developments | BMW M12/13 S4 tc |
G | BRA | SMR | BEL | MON | DET | FRA | GBR | GER | HUN | AUT | ITA | POR | ESP | MEX | JPN | AUS | 10 | 8th | |
| Riccardo Patrese | Ret | 9 | Ret | Ret | 9 | Ret | Ret | Ret | 5 | Ret | Ret | Ret | 13 | 3 | 11 | |||||||
| Stefano Modena | Ret | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Andrea de Cesaris | Ret | Ret | 3 | Ret | Ret | Ret | Ret | Ret | Ret | Ret | Ret | Ret | Ret | Ret | Ret | 8 |
References
- ↑ "STATS F1 • Brabham BT56". Statsf1.com.
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