End of an era as Williams family step away from F1
- John Quinn
- Sep 3, 2020
- 3 min read
It has been announced this afternoon that Sir Frank Williams and daughter, Claire Williams, are stepping down from the Formula 1 team that bears their name.
The announcement comes just a couple of weeks after it was revealed the team had been sold outright to Dorilton Capital, an American investment firm.
Although the new owners agreed to keep the Williams name, it had been speculated there would be a change in management; and after this weekend's Italian Grand Prix, there will no longer be a member of the Williams family at the helm of the F1 squad.
Williams, in it's current guise, was founded by Sir Frank, along with his engineering partner, Sir Patrick Head in 1977. Frank has been the Team Principal at Williams since then, even continuing his role after a near-fatal car accident rendered him tetraplegic, in 1986.
Sir Frank stepped away from day-to-day running of the team at the end of 2012, due to ill health stemming from his injuries. He remained as Team Principal, but his daughter, Claire, was promoted to Deputy Team Principal and took charge of management of the team in March 2013.
Williams is the third most decorated team in Formula 1 history, with nine constructors' championships, seven drivers' championships and 114 race victories, the last of which was achieved at the 2012 Spanish Grand Prix, with a surprise victory by Venezuelan driver, Pastor Maldonado.
Their first championship-winning year was in 1980, when they took the double with Australian driver, Alan Jones.
They later went on to claim championships in the 80s and 90s, with Keke Rosberg, Nelson Piquet, Nigel Mansell, Alain Prost, Damon Hill and Jacques Villeneuve.
Tragedy struck the team in 1994, when Ayrton Senna died at the wheel of one of their cars at that year's San Marino Grand Prix.
The 21st century hasn't been kind to Williams. They tasted victory several times in the early noughties with Ralf Schumacher and Juan-Pablo Montoya, thanks to a strong engine partnership with BMW.
BMW tried to take a larger stake in the team to carry the momentum they had achieved with their original partnership, but with Sir Frank, wishing to keep his team independent, rebuked the idea and BMW left the team and partnered with Sauber F1.
This reluctance to stray from it's independence has seen Williams slide down the grid in recent years, with the high cost of modern F1 deeming manufacturer support or part-sharing essential to survival.
There was a glimmer of a resurgence, when Williams decided to take up Mercedes engines at the beginning of the new Turbo-Hybrid era of F1 in 2014. The team managed a couple of pole positions and several podiums, but the advantage the Mercedes engine gave them was short-lived.
The continued insistence of Williams to manufacturer it's own car, with no more than buying-in their engines, saw costs spiral out of control. A merry-go-round of technical management only added to an ever increasing instability at the team.
Since 2017, Williams have been sliding down the order and for the last three years have been languishing at the back of the grid. The writing was on the wall, which led to the recent announcement of the team's sale.
Although recent times have been tough, there is no doubt the impact Williams has had on the sport over the last five decades. They are a huge part of the sport's history and the family stepping away from Formula 1 is a sad moment for all who love the sport.
The Williams team will remain, but in name only and who knows how long the name will be kept over the garage door.
The last couple of races this year have seen a slight improvement in form for the team, and I think everyone watching this weekend's Italian Grand Prix will be wishing the Williams family, who have loved and worked so hard for for so many years, can leave the sport with their head's held high.
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