‘Williams’ adamant to rise back to glory - Sir Frank Williams (Part 1)
‘Williams’ is a name that can never fade away from the hearts and minds of auto racing fans. Having 9 Constructors' championships, 7 drivers' championships and 113 race victories to its name, the constructors stand tall as one
of the most successful teams Formula One has ever had. The most cherished and unforgettable stars of the racing world reached to glory with this legendary team.
Having looked at the bright history one can well imagine how the team owner, Sir Frank Williams would have felt embracing the sixth place in the drivers’ championship this season. With its two drivers, Rubens Barrichello and Nico
Hulkenberg, the team ended only one place ahead of Force India with its 69 points while the follower was just a single point adrift.
A perfectionist like Sir Williams, very openly accepted that this result is far less than satisfactory for him. While addressing the fans of the celebrated outfit, Williams reflected on the past season while disclosing his aspirations
for the future.
He started by saying, "I wouldn't say I'm satisfied [with sixth] and that's not where we want to be. We didn't provide ourselves with a competitive enough racing car and when you do that, you pay the price. Most drivers get the
maximum out of the car, almost without exception, and if your car's not up the field it usually means it's not good enough to a certain extent.”
However, he believes that this year’s chassis was better that what the team had last year, yet he agrees that it was not as competitive as the others on the track were. Since all the teams now race on the same tyres the chassis
plays a very important role in giving a car advantage over the other. The other very important thing for a car to be competitive on the track is its engine, which Williams believe to have a strong one. The team uses Cosworth engine that is capable of giving
a very good pace to the car, only if it is mixed with the right combination of all other systems. The team lacked this year in one or two minor areas which they were not able to improve all through the season, and thus were left behind in pace.
One thing that went very well for the team this season was the signing of the Formula One veteran, Rubens Barrichello. The driver brought along rich knowledge and a very long experience of Formula One with him. The driver was able
to get the best out of the package the team handed him. At many of the races, he took his Williams across the track faster than one thought it could go.
Barrichello was quick to gain momentum and some strong finishes during the mid season finally helped the team end the season at sixth place, leaving Force India behind very narrowly. The 38-year-old’s 4th place finish
in European Grand Prix and 5th position at Silverstone brought the biggest chunk of points for the team this season. Altogether, the Brazilian was able to bag 47 points as the season ended, and finished the championship at 10th place
in the drivers’ standings.
Commenting on the drivers’ performance Sir Frank said, "We had good races at the Nurburgring, Silverstone and Singapore with Rubens and Nico drove well in Hungary and Italy. I wasn't there for Brazil but Nico's pole was a quite
astonishing achievement. I was pleased that most of the other drivers were fulsome in their praise and none of them said it was down to luck."
To be continued…
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