Driven by Nelson Piquet and Riccardo Patrese, it made its debut at the South African Grand Prix before being withdrawn for further development of its engine while the team reverted to the previous year's car, the Brabham BT49.

This allowed Piquet and Patrese to start the races relatively light and use their reduced weight to gain track position over their competitors before stopping to refuel.

Brabham's lead driver, Niki Lauda, was becoming disgruntled at the performance of the uncompetitive Brabham-Alfa BT48 and discreet discussions were held with aim of getting him into a BMW-powered McLaren.

The Brabham team management were also unhappy with Alfa Romeo,[2] not helped by the Italian company producing its own car[Note 1] and entering it into that year's Belgian Grand Prix.

[4] While the proposed Lauda-McLaren deal did not eventuate and the Austrian abruptly retired at the Canadian race,[5] the relationship between Brabham and BMW had prospered and they came to an engine supply agreement in the summer of 1980.

While Brabham switched to normally aspirated Cosworth DFVs for the 1980 season, the team's owner, Bernie Ecclestone, could see that turbo engines were likely to be key to being competitive in the long term.

[6] Initial testing of the BMW M12/13[Note 2] turbo engine, a modification of the four-cylinder iron block and existing Formula Two four-valve cylinder head,[8] began in late 1980 using a modified BT49 while Brabham's chief designer, Gordon Murray, worked on the BT50.

The BT50 had double wishbone suspension and pullrod activation coil spring/damper units, which were semi-inboard,[9] while its monocoque was an aluminium tub with carbon stiffening panels.

The team continued with its Hewland/Alfa gearbox, first used in 1976 when Brabham ran a V12 Alfa Romeo, but this was found to struggle with the power and torque of the BMW turbo engine.

[13] Brabham began 1982 with three BT50s, one of which was the original BT50 built the previous year,[10] for the season opening South African Grand Prix.

[14] This proved to be the case in qualifying, Piquet second on the grid alongside René Arnoux in the Renault, with Riccardo Patrese in the other BT50 two places back in fourth.

Feeling the engines were still not race ready, Ecclestone opted to field Cosworth-powered BT49 chassis at the Brazilian Grand Prix.

[17] As the relationship between Brabham and BMW remained tense, Ecclestone was forced to compromise; Piquet persevered with the BT50 whilst Patrese raced with the Cosworth-powered BT49.

At the Monaco Grand Prix, Patrese won a somewhat chaotic event, whilst Piquet was more than two seconds slower in qualifying and retired from the race with gearbox trouble.

After an initial scare when Piquet suffered a misfire within two laps of starting the first practice session, Brabham's fortunes suddenly improved.

[18] From the 1982 British Grand Prix, Murray implemented a radical strategy of a planned pit stop for refuelling mid-way through the race to run at the front of the field.

The idea was to allow the cars to start the race with a lighter fuel load as well softer, faster, tyres which would get replaced at the refueling pitstop.

By virtue of the team's now usual strategy of starting on soft tyres and a light fuel load saw Piquet build up a substantial lead and begin to lap the slower cars.

[21] The shared experience was put to good use in for the following season for which Brabham fielded the BT50's successor, the BT52,[Note 3] with which Piquet won the 1983 Driver's Championship.