F1 Daily
The story of Williams
A fresh start for Frank Williams
Frank Williams and Patrick Head founded Williams Grand Prix Engineering in 1977, separate from Frank’s earlier racing venture. The first season used a March chassis before the team produced its own FW06 in 1978. Clay Regazzoni took its first win at Silverstone in 1979, and Alan Jones helped secure both championships in 1980.
One of the great constructors
Further success came with Keke Rosberg, Nelson Piquet, Nigel Mansell, Alain Prost, Damon Hill and Jacques Villeneuve. Honda and Renault partnerships powered many of its strongest years. Innovative cars such as the active-suspension FW14B helped make Williams a technical benchmark. The 1994 season also brought the tragedy of Ayrton Senna’s death. Its ninth and latest constructors’ crown came in 1997.
Preserving the name, rebuilding the team
The BMW partnership brought victories in the early 2000s; Pastor Maldonado scored the team’s most recent Grand Prix win in Spain in 2012. The Williams family sold to Dorilton Capital in 2020, with the team retaining its name. Vowles now oversees investment in infrastructure and processes. Atlassian is the naming partner; engine and sponsor changes do not create new constructor lineages.
Williams: founder and nine constructors’ titles ↗ · Official F1 profile ↗
