Simtek S941

Racing car
Car_name = Simtek S941


Category = Formula One
Constructor = Simtek
Designer = Nick Wirth
Paul Crooks
Team = MTV Simtek Ford
Drivers = 31. David Brabham
32. Roland Ratzenberger
32. Jean-Marc Gounon
32. Domenico Schiattarella
32. Taki Inoue
32 + TD. Andrea Montermini
Chassis =
Front suspension =
Rear suspension =
Engine name = Ford HBD 6,
Capacity = 3497cc,
Configuration = 75-degree V8,
Turbo/NA = naturally aspirated,
Engine position = Rear
Gearbox name = Simtek Xtrac T,
Gears = 6-speed,
Type = "Semi-shift"
Differential =
Fuel = Elf
Tyres = Goodyear
Debut = 1994 Brazilian Grand Prix,
Autódromo José Carlos Pace.
Races = 16
Wins = 0
Cons_champ = 0
Drivers_champ = 0
Poles = 0
Fastest_laps = 0
The Simtek S941 is a Formula One car, designed by Nick Wirth and Paul Crooks for the Simtek team, and used during 1994 Formula One season. Although it was the first car to race under the Simtek name the company had previously designed an unbuilt car for BMW - the unbuilt design formed the basis of the Andrea Moda S291. Simtek also produced a design for Jean Mosnier's abortive "Bravo" project which was to have launched in 1993. There is a strong family resemblance between the 1992 Andrea Moda and the 1994 Simtek.

Name and livery

The S941 was driven by David Brabham for the whole season. Roland Ratzenberger was scheduled to drive the second car for the first five races, as he only had funding for the first part of the season, but his death at Imola meant other drivers had to step in. Andrea Montermini was involved in a very serious accident at his very first race with the team in the Spanish Grand Prix practice session. This left the team in serious financial difficulties. For the remaining part of the year, three other drivers were in the second seat, including Jean-Marc Gounon, Domenico Schiattarella and Japanese pay driver Taki Inoue. Simtek's main sponsor was MTV. Other notable sponsors included Russell Athletic.

Engine

The engine was a naturally-aspirated V8 Ford HBD 6. It was underpowered, but only suffered three failures all season, all in David Brabham's car.

1994 season

The team got the Simtek S941 home 12 times from 32 starts. They benefited from the unreliability of Simtek's back-of-the-grid rival Pacific PR01, which never finished. The Simtek S941 did not score any points in its debut season; Jean-Marc Gounon marked the teams highest finish with ninth at the French Grand Prix, although he was four laps down on the leader.

Race results

() (results in bold indicate pole position)

References

*cite web|title= Car Model: Simtek S941 |url= http://www.chicanef1.com/indiv.pl?name=Simtek%20S941&type=M |work= ChicaneF1.com |accessdate= 2007-10-22 (1994 season statistics.)