Brabham BT50
The Brabham BT50 was the natural evolution of the BT49, the 1981 World Championship winner. Its aluminium monocoque chassis, reinforced with carbon-fibre panels, housed the 1.5-litre BMW M12/13 turbo engine, which had already been tested during 1980 and 1981 on a modified version of the BT49. Compared to its predecessor, the BT50 featured a slightly longer wheelbase, while power was still delivered through the familiar five-speed Hewland/Alfa Romeo gearbox.
If the gestation of the BT50 had been long and difficult, its time on track proved even more troubled. For BMW, the British single-seater marked its official entry into Formula One—a category in which the company had virtually no experience. On the other side stood Brabham—represented by owner Bernie Ecclestone and the brilliant designer Gordon Murray—both running out of patience after the tense and frustrating partnership with Alfa Romeo in previous years. Following the BT50’s disappointing debut at Kyalami, relations between Brabham and BMW entered a delicate phase that came close to breaking point.
Drivers:
Nelson Piquet: The troubles of BMW’s turbocharged four-cylinder engine prevented the Brazilian driver from defending the world title he had won the previous year. After the setbacks of the early races and a temporary return to the previous season’s car, things seemed to improve in early summer when Piquet took the BT50 to victory in Montreal and finished second at Zandvoort. But a string of retirements through the following months left him with only 20 points and a disappointing eleventh place in the championship standings. He would make up for it, handsomely, the following year.
Riccardo Patrese: For Riccardo, 1982 was the first truly memorable season of his long career. He won a chaotic Monaco Grand Prix—but did so at the wheel of the previous year’s car. He would return to the BT50 only at the Dutch Grand Prix, where he finished well outside the points. What followed was a long run of retirements, interrupted only by a fifth-place finish at the Swiss Grand Prix, held at Dijon.
Our model cars:
In an effort to defend the world title Piquet had won the previous year, Ecclestone and Murray brought the Ford-Cosworth–powered BT49 back into service for the second round of the championship in Brazil and again at Long Beach. Unsurprisingly, BMW were not pleased and insisted on a return to the new car with their German engine. In Belgium, the BT50s disappointed once more, leading to a compromise: the two drivers would each race a different car. As fate would have it, at the following Grand Prix in Monaco, Riccardo Patrese claimed victory in the ‘old’ BT49, while Nelson Piquet, driving the new BT50, was two seconds slower than his teammate in qualifying.
