Wolf WR7

Wolf WR7
Fittipaldi F7
Keke Rosberg with his Wolf WR7 at Imola in 1979
CategoryFormula One
ConstructorWolf/Fittipaldi
Designer(s)Harvey Postlethwaite
PredecessorWolf WR5/6 (Wolf)
Fittipaldi F6A (Fittipaldi)
SuccessorFittipaldi F8
Technical specifications[1][2]
ChassisAluminium monocoque, with engine as a fully stressed member.
Axle trackFront:
1979: 1,626 mm (64.0 in)
1980: 1,778 mm (70.0 in)
Rear: 1,626 mm (64.0 in)
Wheelbase1979: 2,667 mm (105.0 in)
1980: 2,642 mm (104.0 in)
EngineFord Cosworth DFV 2,993 cc (182.6 cu in) 90° V8, naturally aspirated, mid-mounted.
TransmissionHewland FGA 400 5-speed manual gearbox, with Borg & Beck clutch.
TyresGoodyear
Competition history
Notable entrantsWalter Wolf Racing
Skol Fittipaldi Team
Notable driversUnited Kingdom James Hunt
Finland Keke Rosberg
Brazil Emerson Fittipaldi
Debut1979 Argentine Grand Prix
RacesWinsPolesF/Laps
23000
n.b. Unless otherwise stated, all data refer to
Formula One World Championship Grands Prix only.

The Wolf WR7 was a Formula One car built for the 1979 season by the Walter Wolf Racing team. Three examples of the car were produced. The first was WR7. A second car, WR8, was built to the same specification, while a slightly modified car, WR9, first appeared at the British Grand Prix.[3] The cars were driven by 1976 champion James Hunt and Keke Rosberg. The engine was a Ford Cosworth DFV.

Competition history

The car was designed by Harvey Postlethwaite, previously responsible for the Hesketh 308 in which James Hunt won his first race. Wolf's former driver Jody Scheckter left the team at the end of 1978, going to Ferrari, where he would win the World Championship. He was replaced by 1976 champion James Hunt. When it was found that Hunt was unable to fit into the Wolf WR5/6 chassis, a new car had to be built in a haste prior to the season opener in Argentina.[4] The cars proved unreliable and uncompetitive, with Hunt only finishing one of his six races in WR7 and WR8. The assertion made by Motor Sport magazine ahead of the season that Hunt was a driver likely to "quickly lose interest" when not provided with a competitive machine[4] proved right after the 1979 Monaco Grand Prix when he left the team to join BBC Sport as a commentator. Keke Rosberg took over his drive for the remainder of the season, but also only finished one race. Rosberg crashed WR9 heavily during qualifying for the Canadian Grand Prix so a hybrid car using WR8's monocoque, dubbed WR8/9 was built up for his use in the United States.[5]

At the end of the 1979 Formula One season, Walter Wolf, owner of the team, pulled out of Formula One and sold the assets of his organisation to Wilson and Emerson Fittipaldi for the use of their Fittipaldi Automotive team. The WR7 cars were raced as Fittipaldi F7s in the early part of the 1980 Formula One season by Emerson Fittipaldi and Rosberg.

Complete Formula One World Championship results

(key) (results in bold indicate pole position; results in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Entrants Chassis Engine Tyres Drivers 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Points WCC
1979 Walter Wolf Racing Wolf WR7
Wolf WR8
Wolf WR8/9
Wolf WR9 		Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 G ARG BRA RSA USW ESP BEL MON FRA GBR GER AUT NED ITA CAN USA 0 NC
James Hunt Ret Ret 8 Ret Ret Ret Ret
Keke Rosberg 9 Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret DNQ Ret
1980 Skol Fittipaldi Team Fittipaldi F7 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 G ARG BRA RSA USW BEL MON FRA GBR GER AUT NED ITA CAN USA 11 8th
Emerson Fittipaldi NC 15 8 3 Ret 6 Ret
Keke Rosberg 3 9 Ret Ret 7 DNQ Ret DNQ

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Wolf WR7.
  1. ^ "Wolf WR7". statsf1.com. Retrieved 10 December 2015.
  2. ^ "Fittipaldi F7". statsf1.com. Retrieved 10 December 2015.
  3. ^ Lang, Mike (1983). Grand Prix! Vol 3. Haynes Publishing Group. p. 280. ISBN 0-85429-380-9.
  4. ^ a b Jenkinson, Denis (January 1979). "Formula One Teams for 1979". Motor Sport magazine archive. p. 26.
  5. ^ Lang, Mike (1983). Grand Prix! Vol 3. Haynes Publishing Group. p. 326. ISBN 0-85429-380-9.


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