The Legendary former Formula One team owner and boss Sir Frank Williams has died in a peaceful death on November 28, 2021. He was 79 years old. His sons, Michael and Lewis, are also survivors of his death. He is survived by his wife and their two children. He had a great love for motor racing. After starting his own business, he focused on running his own racing outfit. In 1969, he purchased a Brabham F1 chassis, and entered a campaign for his first Formula One car. Despite his short-lived career in the sport, Williams stayed committed to the sport.
In 1966, Sir Frank Williams became a racing driver. He was severely injured in a freak accident that left him paralyzed. His career slowed down for several years, but he continued to run his own teams, including in Formula Three and Formula Two. In 1969, he won the championship twice with his team. In the following year, he stepped up to Formula One and shaped the British constructor into a competitive outfit. After the 1974 season, he founded the Williams team. He had a difficult time getting by, but he never gave up.
In early 1977, he sold his Formula One team to US investors. The following year, he stayed on as the Team Principal of the company he founded with his brother Patrick. The Williams Grand Prix Engineering team, now known as Williams, won nine constructors’ titles and seven drivers’ titles. In 1996, Williams sold the company to Walter Wolf. His son Jacques Villeneuve took over as the Team Principal of the team, and the name has stuck ever since.
While his sons inherited the team, his family has ceased involvement in the team. The family sold the company in 2012 and it will pass to his daughter Claire. Upon his death, the Williams Racing team will be based in Grove, Somerset, and continue as a privately owned company. During his time with Williams Racing, the team clinched the constructors championship title and the drivers’ title in 1979.
The late Frank Williams is remembered as a pioneer in the sport. He founded his Williams Formula One team in 1967 and ran it until his retirement in 1970. He had many competitors and won nine constructors’ championships. Although his family does not own the Williams team anymore, he was the driving force behind some of the best teams in the sport. It was the first of its kind in the world.
After his retirement in 1990, the company expanded to run a second car, the FW11, for Carlos Pace in 1972. Then, they partnered with Alessandro de Tomaso. In 1986, they had a close relationship with each other for the next five years. After the first season, they partnered with BMW and began the FW11 development.
After winning his first World Championship in 1980, Williams partnered with Honda for three seasons. The partnership with Honda was so successful that it surpassed the Honda-McLaren deal. In 2003, they won the constructors’ title and their first drivers’ title. This partnership was more successful than its Honda-McLaren deal and lasted until the end of the decade.
Ayrton Senna, the world’s most successful driver, died at the wheel of a Williams car during a British Grand Prix at Silverstone in 1985. In 1994, Williams was accused of manslaughter and was acquitted. He won six more drivers’ championships in his lifetime, including the 1980 British Grand Prix. In 1995, Alan Jones won the Drivers’ Championship. In addition, the team won eight more constructors’ titles in his time.
