a new venture with Italian constructor de Tomaso . The car was just starting to show some promise when Courage was killed in an accident during the Dutch GP . As devastating a blow as this was , Williams vowed to carry on – although de Tomaso stepped back from F1 in the aftermath .
After running customer March chassis on limited funds , he became a constructor in his own right in 1973 . Money was always tight , however – hence the cut phone line – and by 1975 the team ’ s survival prospects looked bleak . Canadian oil magnate Walter Wolf then stepped in to provide finance and eventually purchased a majority shareholding , so Williams was now effectively an employee – a role he didn ’ t relish .
Early in 1977 he sold his remaining stake to Wolf , which gave him enough money to start up again – this time as Williams Grand Prix Engineering , initially using another customer chassis from March . The key detail , though , was that he persuaded a promising young engineer to leave with him : his name was Patrick Head .
In the hands of Australian Alan Jones , Head ’ s first Williams , the FW06 , showed distinct promise in 1978 . The following FW07 , however , established the team as a genuine F1 powerhouse . Alan Jones looked set to give Williams its maiden F1 victory here at Silverstone in 1979 , until his water pump failed , but team-mate Clay Regazzoni was on hand to pick up the pieces . Jones became the dominant driver in the season ’ s second half , though previously poor reliability restricted him to third place in the world championship . In 1980 , however , he scored five victories to become Williams ’ s first champion .
Between then and 1997 , when Williams won its most recent titles , there was only one year - 1988 - when it failed to win a race . There would be further victories in partnership with BMW during the early 2000s , though leaner years would follow after BMW opted to set up its own team . Williams ’ s most recent win came 10 years ago , with Pastor Maldonado in Spain , though it finished third in the world championship for constructors thanks to a volley of podium finishes in 2014 and 2015 .
An era ended in 2020 when the Williams family sold the team to private investment firm Dorilton Capital , providing a financial platform that secured the team ’ s long-term future and should , in time , give it the resources it needs to return to full competitiveness .
However long that takes , its achievements to date reflect the remarkable drive and perseverance of Sir Frank Williams , who died in November 2021 at the age of 79 .
This weekend , Silverstone pays tribute to legendary Formula 1 Team Owner , Sir Frank Williams . The headline races for historic Formula 1 cars will be named in his honour , and the iconic FW07 will be on display in the International Paddock .
SIMON ARRON
47