What is Frank Williams’ Legacy?
An era in Formula 1 racing is coming to an end after the announcement that Frank Williams has turned over his duties as the head of the Williams team that has been a force in the sport for four decades. Williams has relinquished day-to-day control over the team to Adam Parr, who has been acting chairman of Williams since March – although the transfer of formal power had not been made public until just before the British Grand Prix.
Williams was one of the last of the great team owners left in Formula 1 racing. Major teams like McLaren and Red Bull are now large, corporate entities that are run by outside principals rather than the team owners themselves. Even Ferrari – the symbol of Formula 1 racing – is now run by a cadre of controlling interests. It’s a long way from when Enzo Ferrari ran the team and company with an iron fist, hiring and firing drivers and crew at will and having a hand in every engineering and tactical decision.
Williams was the last of the powerful team owners. However, at 68, Williams has apparently decided that it’s time for him to move on to a more ceremonial role with the team. While he refused to call the transfer of power a “retirement” it’s clear that he’ll be more of a figurehead than anything else. He’ll only travel to certain races while Parr will be in control of the team on a daily basis. However, Parr said that he is not interested in buying into the team. Williams is the majority owner, with longtime chief engineer Patrick Head controlling a significant share along with Austrian investor Toto Wolff.
When it comes to Frank Williams’ legacy within the sport, there will be one thing that comes to mind more than anything else: winning. Despite the team not forming until 1977 and the team not earning its first win until Clay Regazzoni won the 1979 British Grand Prix, Williams has become one of the most celebrated teams in Formula 1 history. Along with Ferrari and McLaren, they are one of only three teams to win more than 100 Formula 1 races. In addition, their nine Constructor’s Championships rank second only to Ferrari.
Not surprisingly, Williams’ success has gone hand in hand with having some of the most notable drivers in Formula 1 racing drive for his team. The combination of Williams’ technical know-how and racing strategy helped turn drivers into champions and champions into legends. The list of drivers who won Drivers’ Championships for Williams reads like a Who’s Who of Formula 1: Alan Jones, Keke Rosberg, Nelson Piquet, Nigel Mansell, Alain Prost, Damon Hill and Jacques Villeneuve each won world titles while driving for Williams in the 1980s and 1990s.
One driver who did not get the chance to win a title for Williams was Ayrton Senna, whose brief time with the team would end in grief and pain. Williams had secured Senna’s services for the 1994 season after several years of effort – which drive Senna’s great rival Prost to retirement rather than to partner with him. However, Senna was killed in the fourth race of the season at San Marino. Italian prosecutors would attempt to charge Williams and his team with manslaughter in the accident (they were not cleared officially from charges until 2005).
Williams has persevered through financial difficulties (once operating out of a phone booth when he couldn’t afford an office) and personal hardships (he was paralyzed in a 1986 car accident) to rise to level that few in racing ever achieve. While the Williams team has struggled in recent years (the team’s last win came with Juan Pablo Montoya in 2004), there is no doubt that Frank Williams will be remembered as one of the true pioneers and legends in Formula 1 history.
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