WilliamsF1
WilliamsF1, the trading name of Williams Grand Prix Engineering Ltd., is a Formula One (F1) motor racing team and constructor. It was founded and run by Sir Frank Williams and Patrick Head. The team was formed in 1977 after two earlier and, compared with WilliamsF1's achievements, unsuccessful F1 operations, Frank Williams Racing Cars and Walter Wolf Racing. All of WilliamsF1 chassis are called "FW" then a number, the FW being the initials of team owner, Frank Williams.
| Full name | AT&T Williams |
|---|---|
| Base | Grove, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom |
| Team principal(s) | Frank Williams Patrick Head Claire Williams |
| Technical director | Sam Michael |
| Formula One World Championship Career | |
| Debut | 1978 Argentine Grand Prix |
| Latest race | 2012 British Grand Prix |
| Races competed | 550 |
| Constructors' Championships | 9 (1980, 1981, 1986, 1987, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997) |
| Drivers' Championships | 7 (1980, 1982, 1987, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997) |
| Race victories | 113 |
| Pole positions | 126 |
| Fastest laps | 130 |
| 2010 position | 6th (69 points) |
Williams' first race was the 1978 Argentine Grand Prix, and Switzerland's Clay Regazzoni won Williams' first race at the 1979 British Grand Prix. At the 1997 British Grand Prix, Canadian Jacques Villeneuve won the team's 100th race, making Williams one of only three teams in Formula One, alongside Ferrari and fellow British team McLaren, to win 100 races. Williams won nine Constructor's titles between 1980 and 1997. This stood as a record until Ferrari surpassed it in 2000.
Many famous racing drivers have driven for Williams, including Finland's Keke Rosberg; Britain's Nigel Mansell and Damon Hill; France's Alain Prost and Brazil's Nelson Piquet and Ayrton Senna, and Canada's Jacques Villeneuve, each of whom, with the exception of Senna, have captured one Drivers' title with the team. After Senna died in a Williams car in a crash at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix, Frank Williams, Patrick Head and designer Adrian Newey were all accused of manslaughter. The trial finally closed in 2005, when Williams, Head and Newey were all cleared of any wrongdoing.
Williams have worked with many notable engine manufacturers, most successfully with Renault: Williams won five of their nine constructors' titles with the French company. Along with Ferrari, McLaren, and Renault (formerly Benetton), Williams is one of the "Big Four" teams that have won every constructors' championship since 1979 and every driver's championship since 1984. Williams remains the only one independently owned, as the other three are "factory teams" either setup or bought out by major auto manufacturers.
Formula One World Championship results
WilliamsF1 Media
Williams FW36
Frank Williams, Founder of Williams Racing
The 1978 Williams FW06 at Silverstone in 2007
Nigel Mansell's Williams FW10 chassis used during the 1985 season
Nelson Piquet's championship-winning FW11B from 1987 was the only Honda-powered Williams to win a Drivers' Championship
Williams FW12C, the first powered by a Renault engine
1991 British Grand Prix winner Nigel Mansell giving Ayrton Senna a lift back to the Silverstone paddock after Senna had run out of fuel
Nigel Mansell's Williams FW14B used for the 1992 season when he won the Drivers' Championship and the team won the Constructors' Championship
