The Williams FW20 was the car with which the Williams

WilliamsF1

Williams Grand Prix Engineering Limited, trading as AT&T Williams, is a British Formula One motor racing team and constructor. It was founded and run by Sir Frank Williams and Patrick Head...

 Formula One

Formula One

Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...

 team competed in the 1998 Formula One season

1998 Formula One season

The 1998 Formula One season was the 49th FIA Formula One World Championship season. It commenced on March 8, 1998, and ended on November 1 after sixteen races.-Season summary:...

. It was driven by Jacques Villeneuve

Jacques Villeneuve

Jacques Joseph Charles Villeneuve, , is a Canadian musician and automobile racing driver. He is the son of the late Formula One driver Gilles Villeneuve, and is the namesake of his uncle...

, the reigning champion, and Heinz-Harald Frentzen

Heinz-Harald Frentzen

Heinz-Harald Frentzen is a German racing driver most famous for his career in Formula One. At various times driving for Williams, Jordan, Sauber, Prost, and Arrows, he achieved three race wins before his retirement from F1 in 2003.-Early career:He was born in the West German city of...

, who was in his second year with the team.
The team was adversely affected by the departure of Chief Designer Adrian Newey

Adrian Newey

Adrian Newey is a notable Formula One engineer and widely regarded one of the great engineers in the sport's history. He is the only designer to have won Constructors Championships with three different Formula One teams...

 to McLaren, and Renault's

Renault F1

Lotus Renault GP, formerly the Renault F1 Team, is a British Formula One racing team. The Oxfordshire-based team can trace its roots back through the Benetton team of the late 1980s and 1990s to the Toleman team of the early 1980s. Renault had also competed in various forms since , before taking...

 withdrawal from F1 as an engine supplier. Newey and Renault had made Williams the dominant team of the early and mid 1990s. Newey had departed at the end of 1996, but his input had gone into the FW19 for 1997, so the FW20 was the first Williams car since 1991 that did not directly bear his design. The car was equipped with a Mecachrome

Mecachrome

Mecachrome SAS is a precision engineering company involved in aviation, the automotive industry, motor racing and industrial engineering, but is most famous for assembling the engines designed by Renault for the Renault Formula One team.-Formula One:...

-badged version of what was essentially the previous year's engine. Also gone was the highly distinctive blue and white Rothmans

Rothmans International plc

Rothmans International plc was a British tobacco manufacturer. Its brands included Rothmans and Dunhill. Its international headquarters were in Hill Street, London and its international operations were run from Denham Place, Denham Village in Buckinghamshire...

 livery, as the company had decided to promote its Winfield brand.

1998 was very disappointing compared to the previous championship-winning campaign. The team finished a distant third in the Constructors' Championship, with three podiums and no wins, a long way behind McLaren and Ferrari

Scuderia Ferrari

Scuderia Ferrari is the racing team division of the Ferrari automobile marque. The team currently only races in Formula One but has competed in numerous classes of motorsport since its formation in 1929, including sportscar racing....

.

Villeneuve was unhappy with the season and had no chance to defend his title. He signed with the new British American Racing

British American Racing

British American Racing was a Formula One constructor that competed in the sport from 1999 to 2005. BAR began by acquiring Tyrrell, and used Supertec engines for their first year...

 team for 1999, and Frentzen departed to Jordan

Jordan Grand Prix

Jordan Grand Prix was a Formula One constructor that competed from 1991 to 2005. The team is named after Irish businessman and founder Eddie Jordan...

 after two seasons spent largely in the shadow of his team-mate.

Complete Formula One results

(results in bold indicate pole position)

Year	Team	Engine	Tyres	Drivers	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	Points	WCC
1998 1998 Formula One season The 1998 Formula One season was the 49th FIA Formula One World Championship season. It commenced on March 8, 1998, and ended on November 1 after sixteen races.-Season summary:...	Williams WilliamsF1 Williams Grand Prix Engineering Limited, trading as AT&T Williams, is a British Formula One motor racing team and constructor. It was founded and run by Sir Frank Williams and Patrick Head...	Mecachrome Mecachrome Mecachrome SAS is a precision engineering company involved in aviation, the automotive industry, motor racing and industrial engineering, but is most famous for assembling the engines designed by Renault for the Renault Formula One team.-Formula One:...  V10 V10 engine A V10 engine is a V engine with 10 cylinders in two banks of five with a distinct exhaust note.- Mechanics :The V10 is essentially the result of mating two even-firing straight-5 engines together. The straight-5 engine shows first and second order rocking motion...			AUS 1998 Australian Grand Prix The 1998 Australian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at the Albert Park street circuit in inner Melbourne on 8 March. It was the 63rd race in the combined history of the Australian Grand Prix that dates back to the 100 Miles Road Race of 1928...	BRA 1998 Brazilian Grand Prix The 1998 Brazilian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Interlagos on March 29, 1998. Mika Häkkinen, won his third straight race, with McLaren, also securing their third straight one two finish.-Race Summary:...	ARG 1998 Argentine Grand Prix The 1998 Argentine Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Autódromo Oscar Alfredo Gálvez, Buenos Aires on April 12, 1998. The race was won by Michael Schumacher, and represented his first win of the season...	SMR 1998 San Marino Grand Prix The 1998 San Marino Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Imola on April 26, 1998. The race was won by David Coulthard and represented his first win since the 1997 Italian Grand Prix.-Race Summary:...	ESP 1998 Spanish Grand Prix The 1998 Spanish Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on May 10, 1998 at the Circuit de Catalunya.-Race Summary:Mika Häkkinen qualified in pole position, 0.7 seconds ahead of his McLaren team-mate David Coulthard in second place, with Ferrari's Michael Schumacher a further 0.8 seconds behind in...	MON 1998 Monaco Grand Prix The 1998 Monaco Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Monaco on May 24, 1998. The race was won by Mika Häkkinen, his fourth win of the season.-Qualifying Summary:...	CAN 1998 Canadian Grand Prix The 1998 Canadian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on June 7, 1998. The race was won by Michael Schumacher, however the race is probably best remembered for the crash on the first lap involving Alexander Wurz and Jean Alesi, which resulted in the race being red...	FRA 1998 French Grand Prix The 1998 French Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Magny-Cours on June 28, 1998. The race was won by Michael Schumacher.-Qualifying Summary:...	GBR 1998 British Grand Prix The 1998 British Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Silverstone on 12 July 1998. The race was won by Michael Schumacher in controversial circumstances.- Qualifying :...	AUT 1998 Austrian Grand Prix The 1998 Austrian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at the A1-Ring on July 26, 1998. A mixed-up grid resulted from a wet/dry qualifying session, with Giancarlo Fisichella taking his first pole position. Mika Häkkinen won the race...	GER 1998 German Grand Prix The 1998 German Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at the Hockenheimring on August 2, 1998. Mika Häkkinen won the race for McLaren Mercedes.-Qualifying:...	HUN 1998 Hungarian Grand Prix The 1998 Hungarian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at the Hungaroring on August 16, 1998.The race was won by Michael Schumacher, who started the race 16 points behind Mika Häkkinen, and was behind both McLarens for the first half of the race, which would have effectively ended his...	BEL 1998 Belgian Grand Prix The 1998 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on August 30, 1998, at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps; contested over 44 laps, it was the 13th race of the 1998 Formula One season. The race was won by Damon Hill driving for the Jordan team...	ITA 1998 Italian Grand Prix The 1998 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Monza on September 13, 1998. The race was won by Michael Schumacher. This was also the last win for tyre manufacturer Goodyear in Formula One....	LUX 1998 Luxembourg Grand Prix The 1998 Luxembourg Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at the Nürburgring on September 27, 1998.-Report:With two races remaining of the season, McLaren's Mika Häkkinen and Ferrari's Michael Schumacher were battling for the drivers title; they were level on 80 points with Häkkinen ahead on...	JPN 1998 Japanese Grand Prix The 1998 Japanese Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Suzuka on November 1, 1998.- Classification :-Standings after Grand Prix:Drivers' Championship standingsConstructors' Championship standings...	38	3rd
				Jacques Villeneuve Jacques Villeneuve Jacques Joseph Charles Villeneuve, , is a Canadian musician and automobile racing driver. He is the son of the late Formula One driver Gilles Villeneuve, and is the namesake of his uncle...	5	7	Ret	4	6	5	10	4	7	6	3	3	Ret	Ret	8	6
				Heinz-Harald Frentzen Heinz-Harald Frentzen Heinz-Harald Frentzen is a German racing driver most famous for his career in Formula One. At various times driving for Williams, Jordan, Sauber, Prost, and Arrows, he achieved three race wins before his retirement from F1 in 2003.-Early career:He was born in the West German city of...	3	5	9	5	8	Ret	Ret	15	Ret	Ret	9	5	4	7	5	5