Sir Frank Williams

Founder

Sir Frank Williams CBE was the founder of Williams F1 Team, launching the team alongside Patrick Head in 1977 with the aim of taking on the F1 establishment – and winning.

Success did not take long, and periods of domination followed. Williams Grand Prix Engineering’s first win came in 1979, when Clay Regazzoni drove the Cosworth-powered Williams FW07 to victory at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone. Their first Drivers' and Constructors' Championships both came in 1980, with Australian Alan Jones winning the Drivers' Championship and the team winning the Constructors’ title by 54 points.

Between 1979 and 1997, the team won seven Drivers' Championships, nine Constructors' Championships and a total of 114 race wins.

Along the way, Frank’s own incredible resilience and determination became etched into the DNA of the team. A road car accident near the Paul Ricard circuit in March 1986 resulted in Frank sustaining a spinal cord injury and left him unable to walk. Just four months later he was back in the paddock to see Williams win the British GP at Brands Hatch, and he commanded the team for the rest of his career in a wheelchair.

In 1987, the Queen awarded Frank the title of CBE and he was knighted in 1999. He is also one of only a few non-Frenchmen to have been made a Chevalier of France's Légion d'Honneur, accorded for his work with Renault engines. In 2008, Frank was awarded the Wheatcroft Trophy for his contribution to the motorsport industry.

On 19 December 2010, he was awarded the Helen Rollason Award for "outstanding achievement in the face of adversity" at the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Awards.

Frank died on 28 November 2021, at the age of 79 – but his incredible legacy lives on.

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Williams Grand Prix Engineering Services LLP, a limited liability partnership registered in England and Wales with company registration number OC456938 and whose registered address is at Station Road, Grove, Wantage, Oxfordshire, OX12 0DQ.