Its has been a few weeks now since the passing of Sir Frank Williams and the world of Formula One has paid it’s respects to one of its most legendary figures, but since I haven’t written much for the blog in recent months I wanted to take this opportunity in the down time of the festive period to write my own tribute.
As someone whose passion for motorsport was ignited in the early to mid nineties Frank Williams and the Williams team hold a special place in my heart. They were the team doing all the winning at that time, armed with machines designed by Adrian Newey they dominated the sport and as a British team that obviously resonated with me a lot. Added to that they had British heroes Nigel Mansell and Damon Hill driving for them and bringing home the trophies.
When as a boy in my early teens I daydreamed of being a racing star it was the predominantly blue Williams cars that I was piloting in my mind and Frank that I was driving for. Ok they were just silly boyish fantasies but that was the esteem that I held the team and its leader in. Williams were The team, they were My team. Over the years we have seen them drop to the back of the field and become a shadow of its former self but I have never stopped rooting for them in my heart. They are and will always be that quintessentially British team with racing as its very core.
And Sir Frank was, along with Sir Patrick Head its beating heart, its driving force. He epitomized the role of team owner and boss and was a reminder of an age where nearly every team was run by the person whose name was above the door. Frank was the last of that bred and remained the same single minded passionate racer until the very end. When the Williams family decided to sell the team to Dorilton Capital in 2020 it signaled the end of an era. The time of teams being private entities that existed purely to go racing was already nearly over but with this sale F1 finally said goodbye to the old style of team ownership.
This change in the sport and Frank’s refusal to relinquish control of his outfit was essentially the reason for the team’s slid down the order but I respect Frank for that. He had built the team and made it what it was and the way he went about his racing was what had worked so well for so long. For many of us the Williams team reminded us of a different era of the sport when things were simpler and the racing was purer.
I don’t want to dwell on the fate of the team, that is not what this piece is about, it is instead about celebrating Franks life and the contribution he made to motorsport.
The huge success of the Williams team didn’t come easily, there were many ups and downs and challenges that had to be overcome, not least of which was the horrible road accident on the way back from a test at Paul Ricard in 1986 that resulted in Frank being paralyzed and confined to a wheel chair. Overcoming this and then still leading the team with such vigor and strength shows the character of the man. An event that would have beaten many, and indeed nearly did cost Frank his life only lead to more success. If you can over come that then I guess any thing else F1 can through at you doesn’t appear such a hurdle. Overcome it though he may have, and his wife Virginia deserves as much credit for this as anyone else, there was still many difficulties that came from his situation and and the discomfort that Frank had to endure on a daily basis can only be imagined. The determination and strength to not let this get in his way and keep him down was fierce and for this more than anything Sir Frank deserves huge respect.
This respect was felt all down the pitlane, this was clear from the tributes and messages that were given after news of his death broke. Business differences there may have been down the years as there always will be in sport but from a personal perspective only good things were said. All recognized that Frank had been a special character and the team he had built had been a massive part of the sport.
The Williams team that we know and love wasn’t the start of it all though, previous to Williams Grand Prix engineering being formed in 1977 there had been 10 years of struggle and hand to mouth living without much success a second place at the Nürburgring in 75 being one of the highlights. During this period the fight to survive saw Frank do his business from a phone box, sell cars that weren’t his to sell and scratch around for any funds that he could to keep his team afloat.
After he had been forced to relinquish control of what had then become known as Walter Wolf Racing he started again and persuaded Patrick Head to join him in the new outfit. The Williams team that is on the grid now was born and with sponsorship from Saudia Air and the hard charging Alan Jones at the wheel the team were on their way.
Silverstone would aptly be the venue for the first win and when Clay Regazonni took the chequered flag that day in 1979 it would be the start of a run of the success that would take them to their first World Titles the following season with Jones taking the drivers honours and the team their first constructors crown. More success throughout the eighties made them one of the grandee teams on the grid and Franks ability to secure works engine deals with first Honda and then Renault was a large part of that.
In total seven drivers titles and nine constructors crowns would go the the team from Grove and 114 winners trophies. There would also be success outside of F1 with the Williams designed BMW V12 LMR victorious at Le Mans in 1999 and the Williams Touring Car team winning the BTCC in 1997 with the Renault Laguna that they ran for their F1 engine suppliers. The team were also involved in the creation of the Metro 6R4 really car in the early eighties and while these side projects may not have been the teams main focus they did show that when Frank committed to doing something it was done properly.
The story of Franks life wasn’t all success and celebration though and it is important to recognise that there was tragedy in his life as well. His life changing road accident I have already discussed but there were also the losses of Piers Courage and Aryton Senna to deal with and the fall out from Senna’s death at Imola in 94 would be felt for several years afterwards as Frank and the team faced criminal proceedings against them in the Italian Justice system. The loss of his wife Virginia would also have been a blow to the family and her role in the teams success should also not be underestimated.
Franks early struggles and financial hardship and his reaction to those tragedies are what all of those successes were built on and his determination to keep trying is what drove him on even when things looked dire. The wins were not lucked into or gained by spending more money than anyone else they were earned through sheer guts and hard work and fighting spirit and that is why for me Sir Frank Williams is a giant of F1. Sir Frank you will be missed but remembered with enormous affection and respect and your achievements will be forever celebrated. RIP and have fun at that big race track up in the sky.
My F1 talk 