The Williams FW14B is arguably one of the most iconic Formula 1 cars of all time. It led Nigel Mansell to his last world crown at Williams in 1992. The car itself was designed by the legendary Adrian Newey who these days is known for his association with Red Bull. Now, this beauty is the prized possession of outgoing Ferrari driver and 4-time world champion Sebastian Vettel.
Vettel who is having a torrid time at Ferrari can find some solace in the car that defeated Aryton Senna. It won 10 out of the 16 races in that season but even more dominantly, it clinched pole 15 times out of 16.
Vettel is leaving Ferrari at the end of the 2020 season
"The Red 5 was very interesting to me. The car is absolutely iconic and, just like me, has the starting number 5," Vettel said. Vettel hasn't revealed how much he paid for the iconic car but another FW14B which was also was driven by Mansell went for around three million Euros in 2019.
Vettel is known to be an enthusiast and has a pretty impressive collection of cars and bikes states the German publication BILD.
At the time it was the most innovative car. In fact, till today, many of the innovations of the FW14 have been outlawed because of the type of advantage it gave the driver. It was the first car with an active suspension, a superior traction control system and a semi-automatic gearbox.
Williams paid a tribute to Ayrton Senna
The car proved to be so innovative that the next year Alain Prost joined Williams and won his fourth world championship before retiring. The success of Prost in the Williams was the catalyst for Aryton Senna to leave his McLaren-Ford and join the team in 1994.
By 1994 though, many of the innovations of the FW14 were outlawed and Senna struggled in the first three races against Bennetton of Michael Schumacher. In the third race in Imola, San Marino, Senna crashed while leading the race from Schumacher in the Williams, dying in the process.
