WilliamsF1 - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Williams Grand Prix Engineering Limited, trading as AT&T Williams, is a British Formula One

Formula One

Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...

motor racing team and constructor. It was founded and run by Sir Frank Williams and Patrick Head

Patrick Head

Patrick Head , is co-founder and Engineering Director of the Williams Formula One team.For 25 years from Head was technical director at Williams Grand Prix Engineering, and responsible for many innovations within Formula One. Head oversaw the design and construction of Williams cars until May 2004...

. The team was formed in 1977

1977 Formula One season

The 1977 Formula One season included the 28th FIA Formula One World Championship season, which commenced on January 9, 1977, and ended on October 23 after seventeen races.-Season summary:...

after Frank Williams' two earlier and, compared with Williams F1's achievements, unsuccessful F1 operations: Frank Williams Racing Cars

Frank Williams Racing Cars

Frank Williams Racing Cars was a British Formula One team and constructor.-Early years:Frank Williams had been a motor-racing enthusiast since a young age, and after a career in saloon cars and Formula Three, backed by Williams' shrewd instincts as a dealer in racing cars and spares, he realised...

(1969 to 1975) and Walter Wolf Racing

Walter Wolf Racing

Walter Wolf Racing was a Formula One constructor from 1977 to 1980, notable for winning the very first race the team entered.-1975-77:In 1975, the Slovenian-Austrian-Canadian businessman Walter Wolf had started to appear at many of the F1 races during the season. A year later, he bought 60% of...

(1976). All of Williams F1 chassis are called "FW" then a number, the FW being the initials of team owner, Frank Williams.

Williams' first race was the 1977 Spanish Grand Prix

1977 Spanish Grand Prix

The 1977 Spanish Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Jarama on May 8, 1977.-Report:Mario Andretti continued his recent form with pole position and Jacques Laffite's Ligier springing a surprise, beating Niki Lauda to second, however Lauda was unable to take part in the race due to a...

, where the new team ran a March

March Engineering

March Engineering was a Formula One constructor and manufacturer of customer racing cars from the United Kingdom. Although only moderately successful in Grand Prix competition, March racing cars enjoyed much better achievement in other categories of competition including Formula Two, Formula Three,...

chassis for Patrick Nève

Patrick Nève

Patrick Marie Ghislain Pierre Simon Stanislas Nève de Mévergnies is a former racing driver from Belgium. He participated in 14 Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on 16 May 1976. He scored no championship points....

. Williams started manufacturing its own cars the following year, and Switzerland's Clay Regazzoni

Clay Regazzoni

Gianclaudio Giuseppe "Clay" Regazzoni was a Swiss racing car driver. He competed in Formula One races from 1970 to 1980, winning five Grands Prix. His first win was the Italian Grand Prix at Monza in his debut season, driving for Ferrari. He remained with the Italian team until...

won Williams' first race at the 1979 British Grand Prix

1979 British Grand Prix

The 1979 British Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on 14 July 1979 at Silverstone. It marked the Williams team's first GP pole position and win .- Classification :- Notes :...

. At the 1997 British Grand Prix

1997 British Grand Prix

The 1997 British Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Silverstone on 13 July 1997. It was the ninth round of the 1997 Formula One season. Jacques Villeneuve won the race despite being stuck in the pitlane for half a minute during his first pitstop, after a wheelnut problem.Two previous...

, Canadian Jacques Villeneuve

Jacques Villeneuve

Jacques Joseph Charles Villeneuve, , is a Canadian musician and automobile racing driver. He is the son of the late Formula One driver Gilles Villeneuve, and is the namesake of his uncle...

won the team's 100th race, making Williams one of only three teams in Formula One, alongside Ferrari

Scuderia Ferrari

Scuderia Ferrari is the racing team division of the Ferrari automobile marque. The team currently only races in Formula One but has competed in numerous classes of motorsport since its formation in 1929, including sportscar racing....

and fellow British team McLaren

McLaren

McLaren Racing Limited, trading as Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, is a British Formula One team based in Woking, Surrey, United Kingdom. McLaren is best known as a Formula One constructor but has also competed and won in the Indianapolis 500 and Canadian-American Challenge Cup...

, to win 100 races. Williams won nine Constructor's titles between 1980

1980 Formula One season

The 1980 Formula One season was the 31st season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1980 World Championship of Drivers and the 1980 International Cup for F1 Constructors which were contested concurrently from January 13 to October 5 over a fourteen race series...

and 1997

1997 Formula One season

The 1997 Formula One season was the 48th FIA Formula One World Championship season. It commenced on March 9, 1997, and ended on October 26 after seventeen races.-Season summary:...

. This stood as a record until Ferrari

Scuderia Ferrari

surpassed it in 2000

2000 Formula One season

The 2000 Formula One season was the 51st season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 2000 FIA Formula One World Championship which commenced on March 12, 2000, and ended on October 22 after seventeen races...

.

Many famous racing drivers have driven for Williams, including Australia's Alan Jones; Finland's Keke Rosberg

Keke Rosberg

Keijo Erik Rosberg , nicknamed "Keke", is a Finnish former racing driver and winner of the Formula One World Championship. He was the first Finnish driver to compete regularly in the series. Rosberg grew up in Oulu and Iisalmi, Finland...

; Britain's Nigel Mansell

Nigel Mansell

Nigel Ernest James Mansell OBE is a British racing driver who won both the Formula One World Championship and the CART Indy Car World Series...

, Damon Hill

Damon Hill

Damon Graham Devereux Hill OBE is a retired British racing driver. In 1996 Hill won the Formula One World Championship. As the son of the late Graham Hill, he is the only son of a world champion to win the title...

and Jenson Button

Jenson Button

Jenson Alexander Lyons Button MBE is a British Formula One driver currently signed to McLaren. He was the 2009 World Drivers' Champion.Button began karting at the age of eight and achieved early success, before progressing to car racing in the British Formula Ford Championship and the British...

; France's Alain Prost

Alain Prost

Alain Marie Pascal Prost, OBE, Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur is a French racing driver. A four-time Formula One Drivers' Champion, Prost has won more titles than any driver except for Juan Manuel Fangio , and Michael Schumacher . From 1987 until 2001 Prost held the record for most Grand Prix...

; Brazil's Nelson Piquet

Nelson Piquet

Nelson Piquet Souto Maior , known as Nelson Piquet, is a Brazilian former racing driver. He was Formula One world champion in , and . He is one of eight drivers to win three or more world championships, the others being Jack Brabham, Jackie Stewart, Niki Lauda, Ayrton Senna , Alain Prost , Juan...

and Ayrton Senna

Ayrton Senna

Ayrton Senna da Silva was a Brazilian racing driver. A three-time Formula One world champion, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest F1 drivers of all time...

, and Canada's Jacques Villeneuve

Jacques Villeneuve

Jacques Joseph Charles Villeneuve, , is a Canadian musician and automobile racing driver. He is the son of the late Formula One driver Gilles Villeneuve, and is the namesake of his uncle...

, each of whom, with the exception of Senna and Button, have captured one Drivers' title with the team. After Senna died in a Williams car in a crash at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix

1994 San Marino Grand Prix

The 1994 San Marino Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on May 1, 1994 at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, Imola, Italy. It was the third race of the 1994 Formula One season...

, Frank Williams, Patrick Head and designer Adrian Newey

Adrian Newey

Adrian Newey is a notable Formula One engineer and widely regarded one of the great engineers in the sport's history. He is the only designer to have won Constructors Championships with three different Formula One teams...

were all accused of manslaughter

Manslaughter

Manslaughter is a legal term for the killing of a human being, in a manner considered by law as less culpable than murder. The distinction between murder and manslaughter is said to have first been made by the Ancient Athenian lawmaker Dracon in the 7th century BC.The law generally differentiates...

. The trial finally closed on April 13, 2007, when the Italian Court of Appeal stated in the verdict numbered 15050 that Patrick Head was guilty of the manslaughter charge. Even being found responsible for Senna's accident, Patrick Head was not arrested, because the final verdict was pronounced after the statute of limitations had expired.

Williams have worked with many notable engine manufacturers, most successfully with Renault

Renault F1

Lotus Renault GP, formerly the Renault F1 Team, is a British Formula One racing team. The Oxfordshire-based team can trace its roots back through the Benetton team of the late 1980s and 1990s to the Toleman team of the early 1980s. Renault had also competed in various forms since , before taking...

: Williams won five of their nine constructors' titles with the French company. Along with Ferrari

Scuderia Ferrari

, McLaren, and Renault

Renault F1

, Williams is one of the "Big Four" teams that won every constructors' championship between 1979 and 2008 and every driver's championship from 1984 to 2008.

Origins

Related Articles: Frank Williams Racing Cars
Frank Williams Racing Cars
Frank Williams Racing Cars was a British Formula One team and constructor.-Early years:Frank Williams had been a motor-racing enthusiast since a young age, and after a career in saloon cars and Formula Three, backed by Williams' shrewd instincts as a dealer in racing cars and spares, he realised...

& Walter Wolf Racing
Walter Wolf Racing
Walter Wolf Racing was a Formula One constructor from 1977 to 1980, notable for winning the very first race the team entered.-1975-77:In 1975, the Slovenian-Austrian-Canadian businessman Walter Wolf had started to appear at many of the F1 races during the season. A year later, he bought 60% of...

Frank Williams started the current Williams team in 1977 after his previous outfit, Frank Williams Racing Cars

Frank Williams Racing Cars

, failed to achieve the success he desired. Despite the promise of a new owner in the form of Canadian millionaire Walter Wolf, the team's 1976

1976 Formula One season

The 1976 Formula One season included the 27th FIA Formula One World Championship season, which commenced on January 25, 1976, and ended on October 24 after sixteen races...

cars were not competitive. Eventually Williams left the rechristened Walter Wolf Racing

Walter Wolf Racing

and moved to Didcot

Didcot

Didcot is a town and civil parish in Oxfordshire about south of Oxford. Until 1974 it was in Berkshire, but was transferred to Oxfordshire in that year, and from Wallingford Rural District to the district of South Oxfordshire...

to rebuild his team as "Williams Grand Prix Engineering". Frank recruited young engineer Patrick Head

Patrick Head

to work for the team, creating the "Williams-Head" partnership.

Ownership

It was reported on 20 November 2009 by Reuters

Reuters

Reuters is a news agency headquartered in New York City. Until 2008 the Reuters news agency formed part of a British independent company, Reuters Group plc, which was also a provider of financial market data...

that Williams and Patrick Head had sold a minority interest in their team to an investment company led by Austrian Toto Wolff

Toto Wolff

Torger Christian "Toto" Wolff is an Austrian investor and racing driver.- Motorsport :Toto Wolff started his motorsports-career 1992 in Australian Formula Ford Championship. He was driving in Austrian and German Formula Ford during 1993 and 1994. 1994 he won the 24 Hours Nürburgring in his category...

who has stated that it is purely a commercial decision.

In February 2011, Williams F1 announced their intention to float via an Initial Public Offering

Initial public offering

An initial public offering or stock market launch, is the first sale of stock by a private company to the public. It can be used by either small or large companies to raise expansion capital and become publicly traded enterprises...

on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange

Frankfurt Stock Exchange

The Frankfurt Stock Exchange is the world's 12th largest stock exchange by market capitalization. Located in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, the Frankfurt Stock Exchange is owned and operated by Deutsche Börse, which also owns the European futures exchange Eurex and the clearing company...

, from March 2011. Swiss-based Bank am Bellevue AG will act as sole global co-ordinator of up to 27.39% of existing shares, a total of 2,739,383 shares. The shares will be offered to the public in the UK, Germany, Switzerland and Austria; while private institutional investment will be available to organisations in other EU countries, plus the United States, Canada, Japan and Australia. Sir Frank Williams will remain majority shareholder and team principal after the IPO. The shares are valued at between 24 and 29 euros, which values the Williams F1 team at 265 million euros.

Ford (1976–1983)

1977

Williams entered a customer March

March Engineering

761 for the 1977 season

1977 Formula One season

The 1977 Formula One season included the 28th FIA Formula One World Championship season, which commenced on January 9, 1977, and ended on October 23 after seventeen races.-Season summary:...

. Lone driver Patrick Nève

Patrick Nève

appeared at 11 races that year, starting with the Spanish Grand Prix

1977 Spanish Grand Prix

. The new team failed to score a point, achieving a best finish of 7th at the Italian Grand Prix

1977 Italian Grand Prix

The 1977 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Monza on September 11, 1977.-Report:The fact that it was Ferrari's home race did not deter James Hunt who took pole, whereas Carlos Reutemann cheered the home fans by starting second in front of Jody Scheckter...

.

1978
For the 1978 season

1978 Formula One season

The 1978 Formula One season included the 29th FIA Formula One World Championship which commenced on January 15, 1978, and ended on October 8 after sixteen races. Mario Andretti was the season Champion and the last American to date to win a Formula One race...

, Patrick Head designed his first Williams car: the FW06. Williams signed Australian Alan Jones, who had won the Austrian Grand Prix

1977 Austrian Grand Prix

The 1977 Austrian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at the Österreichring on August 14, 1977. It was the tenth Austrian Grand Prix since the race was first held in 1963. It was held over 54 laps of the six kilometre venue for a race distance of 320 kilometres...

the previous season for a devastated Shadow

Shadow Racing Cars

Shadow Racing Cars was a Formula One and sports car racing team, founded and initially based in the United States although later Formula One operations were run from Britain.-1971-1972: Early years in CanAm series:...

team following the death of their lead driver, Tom Pryce

Tom Pryce

Thomas Maldwyn Pryce was a Welsh racing driver, famous for winning the Brands Hatch Race of Champions, a non-championship Formula One race, in 1975 and for the circumstances surrounding his death...

. Jones’s first race for the team was the Argentine Grand Prix

1978 Argentine Grand Prix

The 1978 Argentine Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on 15 January 1978 at Buenos Aires.-Report:Mario Andretti took pole in his Lotus, with Carlos Reutemann's Ferrari joining him on the front row and Ronnie Peterson in the other Lotus third on the grid...

where he qualified the lone Williams in 14th position, but retired after 36 laps with a fuel system failure. The team scored its first championship points two rounds later at the South African Grand Prix

1978 South African Grand Prix

The 1978 South African Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on 4 March 1978 at Kyalami.Both the Ferrari and Brabham teams had new cars in Kyalami for the race...

when Jones finished fourth. Williams managed their first podium position at the US Grand Prix

1978 United States Grand Prix

The 1978 United States Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on October 1, 1978 at the Watkins Glen Grand Prix Race Course in Watkins Glen, New York...

, where the Australian came second, some 20 seconds behind the Ferrari

Scuderia Ferrari

of future Williams driver Carlos Reutemann

Carlos Reutemann

Carlos Alberto Reutemann , nicknamed "Lole", is an Argentine former racing driver , and later a politician in his native province of Santa Fe, for the Justicialist Party....

. Williams ended the season in tenth place in the constructors’ championship, with a respectable 16 points, while Alan Jones finished 12th in the drivers' championship.

1979

Head

Patrick Head

designed the FW07

Williams FW07

The Williams FW07 was a ground effect Formula One racing car designed by Patrick Head for the 1979 F1 season. It was closely based on the Lotus 79, even being developed in the same wind tunnel at Imperial College London. Some observers, among them Lotus aerodynamicist Peter Wright felt the FW07 was...

for the 1979 season

1979 Formula One season

The 1979 Formula One season was the 30th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1979 World Championship of F1 Drivers and the 1979 International Cup for F1 Constructors which were contested concurrently over a fifteen round series which commenced on January 21, 1979, and ended on...

. This was the team’s first ground effect

Ground effect in cars

Ground effect is term applied to a series of aerodynamic effects used in car design, which has been exploited to create downforce, particularly in racing cars. This has been the successor to the earlier dominant aerodynamic theory of streamlining...

car, a technology first introduced by Colin Chapman

Colin Chapman

Anthony Colin Bruce Chapman CBE was an influential British designer, inventor, and builder in the automotive industry, and founder of Lotus Cars....

and Team Lotus

Team Lotus

Team Lotus was the motorsport sister company of English sports car manufacturer Lotus Cars. The team ran cars in many motorsport series including Formula One, Formula Two, Formula Ford, Formula Junior, IndyCar and sports car racing...

. Williams also obtained membership of the Formula One Constructors Association

Formula One Constructors Association

The Formula One Constructors' Association is an organization of the chassis builders who design and build the cars that race in the FIA Formula One World Championship...

(FOCA) which expressed a preference for teams to run two cars, so Jones was partnered by Swiss

Swiss (people)

The Swiss are citizens or natives of Switzerland. The demonym derives from the toponym of Schwyz and has been in widespread use to refer to the Old Swiss Confederacy since the 16th century....

driver Clay Regazzoni

Clay Regazzoni

. They had to wait until the seventh round of the championship, the Monaco Grand Prix

1979 Monaco Grand Prix

The 1979 Monaco Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on 27 May 1979 at Monaco.- Classification :- Notes :* Lap Leaders: Jody Scheckter 76 laps .* Last race - James Hunt-Standings after the race:Drivers' Championship standings...

, for a points-scoring position. Regazzoni came close to taking the team’s first win but finished second, less than a second behind race winner Jody Scheckter

Jody Scheckter

Jody David Scheckter is a South African former auto racing driver, the Formula One World Drivers Champion.-Career:Scheckter was born in East London, South Africa and educated at Selborne College.-Formula One:...

. The next round at Dijon

1979 French Grand Prix

The 1979 French Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on 1 July 1979 at Dijon.It marked the first victory of a turbocharged car in Formula One, with Renault overcoming the reliability problems that had initially plagued their car...

is remembered for the final lap battle between René Arnoux

René Arnoux

René Alexandre Arnoux is a retired French racing driver who is a veteran of 12 Formula One seasons...

and Gilles Villeneuve

Gilles Villeneuve

Joseph Gilles Henri Villeneuve, better known as Gilles Villeneuve , was a Canadian racing driver. An enthusiast of cars and fast driving from an early age, he started his professional career in snowmobile racing in his native province of Quebec...

, but also saw both cars finish in the points for the first time: Jones was fourth with Regazzoni sixth. The team’s first win came at the 1979 British Grand Prix

1979 British Grand Prix

The 1979 British Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on 14 July 1979 at Silverstone. It marked the Williams team's first GP pole position and win .- Classification :- Notes :...

– their home Grand Prix – when Regazzoni finished almost 25 seconds ahead of anyone else.
Things got even better when Williams cars finished first and second at the next round in Hockenheim

1979 German Grand Prix

The 1979 German Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on 29 July 1979 at Hockenheimring.- Classification :-Standings after the race:Drivers' Championship standingsConstructors' Championship standings...

, Alan Jones two seconds ahead of Regazzoni. Jones then made it three wins in a row at the Österreichring

1979 Austrian Grand Prix

The 1979 Austrian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on 12 August 1979 at Österreichring.- Classification :- Notes :* Lap Leaders: Gilles Villeneuve 3 laps ; Alan Jones 51 laps .* First pole position: René Arnoux-Standings after the race:...

, finishing half a minute ahead of Gilles Villeneuve’s Ferrari. Three wins in a row became four wins two weeks later at Zandvoort

1979 Dutch Grand Prix

The 1979 Dutch Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on 26 August 1979 at Zandvoort.-Summary:René Arnoux put his Renault on pole position but the slow start of the turbocharged car allowed Alan Jones to break free. Arnoux and Clay Regazzoni collided, eliminating the Williams on the spot while the...

, Alan Jones winning again by a comfortable margin over Jody Scheckter

Jody Scheckter

’s Ferrari. Scheckter ended the Williams winning streak when he won Ferrari’s home Italian Grand Prix

1979 Italian Grand Prix

The 1979 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on 9 September 1979 at Monza.Monza was revamped for 1979, including a re-surfaced track; and run-off areas were added to the Curva Grande and the Lesmo Curves....

, Regazzoni finishing third behind both Ferraris. Alan Jones managed another win at the penultimate race at Montreal

1979 Canadian Grand Prix

The 1979 Canadian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on 30 September 1979 at Montreal.During practice Niki Lauda announced his retirement from Formula One. Ricardo Zunino replaced him for the race. The organizers would not let the Alfa Romeo team compete unless they pre-qualified...

to cap off a great season.

Williams had greatly improved their constructors' championship position, finishing eight places higher than the previous year and scoring 59 more points. Alan Jones was the closest driver to the Ferrari duo of Villeneuve and 1979 champion Jody Scheckter, the Australian scored 43 points, 17 behind the South African, while Jones’s team mate, Regazzoni, was two places behind him with 32 points.

1980

In 1980

1980 Formula One season

Alan Jones partnered the Argentine Carlos Reutemann

Carlos Reutemann

Carlos Alberto Reutemann , nicknamed "Lole", is an Argentine former racing driver , and later a politician in his native province of Santa Fe, for the Justicialist Party....

. The team started well in the championship, with Jones winning the first round of the season in Argentina

1980 Argentine Grand Prix

The 1980 Argentine Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on January 13, 1980 at the Autódromo Juan y Oscar Gálvez Circuit in Argentina. It was the first race of the 1980 Formula One season...

. Jones won four more races: Paul Ricard

1980 French Grand Prix

The 1980 French Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Paul Ricard on June 29, 1980.Financial problems meant that this was the last race contested by the Shadow team.- Classification :-Standings after the race:Drivers' Championship standings...

, Brands Hatch

1980 British Grand Prix

The 1980 British Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Brands Hatch on July 13, 1980.This race proved to be Patrick Depailler's final Grand Prix...

, Montreal

1980 Canadian Grand Prix

The 1980 Canadian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on September 28, 1980, at the Montreal Circuit in Canada. It was the thirteenth race of the 1980 Formula One season.- Classification :- Notes :* Milestones:...

and the final round at Watkins Glen

1980 United States Grand Prix

The 1980 United States Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on October 5, 1980 at the Watkins Glen Grand Prix Race Course in Watkins Glen, New York...

. Jones became the first of seven Williams drivers to win the drivers' championship, 17 points ahead of Nelson Piquet

Nelson Piquet

’s Brabham. Williams also won its first constructors’ championship, scoring 120 points, almost twice as many as second-placed Ligier.

1981

The duo won four races for the Williams team in the 1981 season

1981 Formula One season

The 1981 Formula One season included the 32nd FIA Formula One World Championship season, which commenced on March 15, 1981, and ended on October 17 after fifteen races. Nelson Piquet won the Drivers' Championship, claiming the first of his three Formula One titles...

. Alan Jones won at the first round at Long Beach

1981 United States Grand Prix West

The 1981 United States Grand Prix West was a Formula One race held on March 15, 1981 at Long Beach, California.__FORCETOC__-Summary:Defending World Champion Alan Jones finished nine seconds ahead of teammate Carlos Reutemann, and won his first Long Beach Grand Prix, as the 1981 season finally began...

and the final round at Las Vegas, while Carlos Reutemann

Carlos Reutemann

Carlos Alberto Reutemann , nicknamed "Lole", is an Argentine former racing driver , and later a politician in his native province of Santa Fe, for the Justicialist Party....

won at the second round at Jacarepagua

1981 Brazilian Grand Prix

The 1981 Brazilian Grand Prix was the second race of the 1981 Formula One season and was held on March 29, 1981 at Jacarepaguá in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.-Classification:Results from the 1981 Formula One Brazilian Grand Prix:- Notes :...

and the fifth round at Zolder

1981 Belgian Grand Prix

The 1981 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Zolder on May 17, 1981.-Mechanic safety:The Belgian Grand Prix of 1981 was marred by two serious incidents involving mechanics, one fatal. In Friday practice a mechanic from the Osella team, Giovanni Amadeo, stumbled off the pitwall...

. Williams won the constructors’ title for the second year running, scoring 95 points, 34 points more than second-placed Brabham.

1982
Alan Jones retired from Formula One, only to come back a year later for a single race with the Arrows

Arrows

Arrows Grand Prix International was a British Formula One team active from to . For a period of time, it was also known as Footwork.-Origins :...

team. The Australian was replaced by Finnish driver, Keke Rosberg

Keke Rosberg

, who had not scored a single championship point the previous year. He won the Drivers title that year; winning only one race, the Swiss Grand Prix

1982 Swiss Grand Prix

The 1982 Swiss Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Dijon-Prenois in France on August 29, 1982. This was the only win of the season for eventual World Champion Keke Rosberg.- Classification :-Standings after the race:...

at Dijon-Prenois

Dijon-Prenois

Dijon-Prenois is a motor racing circuit located in Prenois, near Dijon, France. The undulating track is noted for its fast, sweeping bends....

. Rosberg’s teammate, Reutemann

Carlos Reutemann

Carlos Alberto Reutemann , nicknamed "Lole", is an Argentine former racing driver , and later a politician in his native province of Santa Fe, for the Justicialist Party....

, finished in 15th place having quit Formula One after just two races of the new season. His seat was filled by Mario Andretti

Mario Andretti

Mario Gabriele Andretti is a retired Italian American world champion racing driver, one of the most successful Americans in the history of the sport. He is one of only two drivers to win races in Formula One, IndyCar, World Sportscar Championship and NASCAR...

for the US Grand Prix West

1982 United States Grand Prix West

The 1982 United States Grand Prix West was a Formula One race held on April 4, 1982 at the temporary street circuit at Long Beach, California.__FORCETOC__-Summary:...

before Derek Daly

Derek Daly

Derek Daly is a former racing driver from the Republic of Ireland. He won the 1977 British Formula Three Championship, and competed as a professional racing driver for 17 years participating in 64 World Championship Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on April 2, 1978. He scored a total of 15...

took over for the rest of the year. The Williams team finished fourth in the constructors’ championship that year, 16 points behind champions Ferrari

Scuderia Ferrari

.

By the end of the season, Frank Williams realised that to compete at the top levels of Formula One

Formula One

he needed the support of a major manufacturer, such as Renault

Renault

Renault S.A. is a French automaker producing cars, vans, and in the past, autorail vehicles, trucks, tractors, vans and also buses/coaches. Its alliance with Nissan makes it the world's third largest automaker...

or BMW

BMW

Bayerische Motoren Werke AG is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916. It also owns and produces the Mini marque, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW produces motorcycles under BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna brands...

who could supply his team with a turbo engine.

Honda and Judd (1983–1988)

Related Articles: Honda Racing F1, Judd (engine)
Judd (engine)
Judd is a name brand of engines produced by Engine Developments Ltd., a company founded in 1971 by John Judd and Jack Brabham in Rugby, Warwickshire, England...

1983

Frank Williams looked towards Honda, which was developing its own turbo-charged V6 engine with the Spirit

Spirit (racing team)

Spirit Racing was a racing car constructor and racing team from Britain, who participated in 25 World Championship Formula One Grands Prix between and .Founded in 1981 by Gordon Coppuck and John Wickham, Spirit had a close relationship with Honda...

team. A deal between Honda and Williams was finally settled early in 1983

1983 Formula One season

The 1983 Formula One season included the 34th FIA Formula One World Championship which commenced on March 13, and ended on October 15 after fifteen races. Nelson Piquet won the World Drivers' Championship, his second Formula One title and the first one ever won by a driver using a turbocharged engine...

and the team used the engines for the 1984 season

1984 Formula One season

The 1984 Formula One season was the 35th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1984 Formula One World Championship for Drivers and the 1984 Fomula One World Championship for Manufacturers which were contested concurrently over a sixteen race series which commenced on March 25,...

. For the rest of the 1983 season, Williams used the Ford engine except for the last race of the year in South Africa

1983 South African Grand Prix

The 1983 South African Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Kyalami on October 15, 1983. It was the final race of the 1983 Formula One season....

where Rosberg scored an encouraging fifth place. The team finished fourth in the constructors’ championship, scoring 36 points, including a win for Keke Rosberg

Keke Rosberg

at the 1983 Monaco Grand Prix

1983 Monaco Grand Prix

The 1983 Monaco Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Monaco on May 15, 1983.- Classification :- Notes :*Pole position: Alain Prost - 1:24.840*Fastest lap: Nelson Piquet - 1:27.283 on lap 69*Neither of the McLaren cars qualified...

.

1984

For the 1984

1984 Formula One season

season Head

Patrick Head

designed the ungainly FW09

Williams FW09

The Williams FW09 was a Formula One car designed by Patrick Head and Neil Oatley. It was the first Williams chassis to be powered by a turbocharged Honda V6 engine, which Frank Williams negotiated a deal for towards the end of and the beginning of the season...

. Keke Rosberg

Keke Rosberg

won the Dallas Grand Prix and managed to get second at the opening race in Brazil

1984 Brazilian Grand Prix

The 1984 Brazilian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Jacarepaguá on March 25, 1984. It was the first round of the 1984 Formula One season...

. Rosberg’s team mate, Jacques Laffite

Jacques Laffite

Jacques-Henri Laffite is a French former racing driver who competed in Formula One from to . He achieved six grand prix wins, all while driving for the Ligier team. He is now a TV commentator on French television TF1....

, came 14th in the drivers' championship with five points. The team finished sixth with 25.5 points, with Rosberg eighth in the drivers' championship.

1985

In 1985

1985 Formula One season

The 1985 Formula One season was the 36th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1985 Formula 1 World Championship which commenced on 7 April 1985 and ended on 3 November 1985 after sixteen races. World Championship titles were awarded for both Drivers and Manufacturers.-Season...

, Head

Patrick Head

designed the FW10

Williams FW10

The Williams FW10 was the Formula One car built and raced by the Williams team for the 1985 Formula One season. It was upgraded to FW10B specification later in the season.-Concept:1985 marked Williams' second full season with Honda turbo power...

, the team’s first chassis to employ the carbon-fibre composite technology pioneered by the McLaren team. British driver Nigel Mansell

Nigel Mansell

Nigel Ernest James Mansell OBE is a British racing driver who won both the Formula One World Championship and the CART Indy Car World Series...

joined the team to partner Rosberg

Keke Rosberg

. The team scored four wins with Rosberg, winning in Detroit

1985 Detroit Grand Prix

The 1985 Detroit Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on June 23, 1985 in Detroit, Michigan. It was the sixth round of the 1985 Formula One season.__FORCETOC__-Summary:...

and Adelaide

1985 Australian Grand Prix

The 1985 Australian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held in Adelaide on November 3, 1985. It was the sixteenth and final race of the 1985 Formula One season....

, while Mansell won the European Grand Prix

1985 European Grand Prix

The 1985 European Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Brands Hatch on October 6, 1985. It was the fourteenth round of the 1985 Formula One season....

and the South African Grand Prix

1985 South African Grand Prix

The 1985 South African Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on October 19, 1985 at the Kyalami Circuit in South Africa. It was the fifteenth and penultimate round of the 1985 Formula One season....

. Williams finished third in the constructors' championship, scoring 71 points.

1986

In March 1986

1986 Formula One season

The 1986 Formula One season was the 37th FIA Formula One World Championship season. It commenced on March 23, 1986, and ended on October 26 after sixteen races....

, Frank Williams faced the most serious challenge of his life. While returning to the airport at Nice

Nice

Nice is the fifth most populous city in France, after Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Toulouse, with a population of 348,721 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Nice extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of more than 955,000 on an area of...

, he was involved in a car accident which left him paralysed. He did not return to the pit lane for almost a year. Despite the lack of his presence in the team, the Williams team won nine Grands Prix and the constructors’ Championship and came close to winning the Drivers' championship with Nigel Mansell, but the British driver’s left-rear tyre blew up along the back straight at the Australian GP, the final round of the season, while his fellow championship rival, and teammate, Piquet made a pit stop shortly after Mansell’s retirement as a precaution. This left Alain Prost

Alain Prost

to defend his title successfully, despite being in an inferior car.

1987
The 1987 season

1987 Formula One season

The 1987 Formula One season was the 38th season of Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1987 FIA Formula One World Championship for Drivers and Constructors which commenced on April 12, 1987 and ended on November 15 after sixteen races...

brought Williams-Honda partnership its first and only Drivers' championship title in the form of Nelson Piquet

Nelson Piquet

, who scored 76 points – 73 after dropped scores (best eleven results counted) in relation to the Drivers' Championship – and won three races, while the Brazilian’s teammate, Mansell

Nigel Mansell

Nigel Ernest James Mansell OBE is a British racing driver who won both the Formula One World Championship and the CART Indy Car World Series...

, was 15 points behind – 12 on dropped scores – him in second place with six victories during the season. The Williams team finished as constructors’ champions for the second year running, scoring 137 points, 61 points ahead of their nearest rivals McLaren. Despite this success Honda ended their partnership with Williams at the end of the year in favour of McLaren and Lotus

Team Lotus

.

1988

Unable to make a deal with another major engine manufacturer, Williams used naturally aspirated Judd engines for the 1988 season

1988 Formula One season

The 1988 Formula One season was the 39th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1988 FIA Formula One World Championship which commenced on April 3, 1988 and ended on November 13 after sixteen races...

. This left them with a significant performance deficit compared with their turbo-powered rivals. Piquet

Nelson Piquet

left Williams to join Lotus

Team Lotus

who had retained their Honda engines for the 1988 season, mostly due to Satoru Nakajima

Satoru Nakajima

Satoru Nakajima is a former racing driver from Japan.-Career:Nakajima was born into a farming family living just outside Okazaki, Japan. He began driving cars in his early teens in the family's garden with his older brother giving him tips, careful that they were not caught by their father...

. Williams brought in Italian Riccardo Patrese

Riccardo Patrese

Riccardo Gabriele Patrese is an Italian former racing driver, who raced in Formula One from to .He became the first Formula One driver to achieve 200 Grand Prix starts when he appeared at the 1990 British Grand Prix, and the first to achieve 250 starts at the 1993 German Grand Prix...

to replace him. The team did not win a single race that season and finished seventh in the constructors’ championship, scoring 20 points. The highlights of the season were two second places by Mansell, at the British

1988 British Grand Prix

The 1988 British Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on July 10, 1988 at the Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone. It was the eighth race of the 1988 Formula One season....

and Spanish Grand Prix

1988 Spanish Grand Prix

The 1988 Spanish Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on October 2, 1988 at the Circuito Permanente de Jerez, Jerez de la Frontera. It was the fourteenth race of the 1988 Formula One season.-Qualifying:...

. When Mansell was forced to miss two races through illness, he was replaced by Martin Brundle

Martin Brundle

Martin John Brundle is a British racing driver from England, known as a Formula One driver and as an F1 commentator for ITV Sport from 1997 to 2008, the BBC from 2009 to 2011 and Sky Sports from 2012....

and then Jean-Louis Schlesser

Jean-Louis Schlesser

Jean-Louis Schlesser is a French racing driver with experience in circuit racing and cross-country rallying. He is known for his successful wins of many different competitions...

Renault and Mecachrome (1989–1999)

Related Article: Renault F1
Renault F1
Lotus Renault GP, formerly the Renault F1 Team, is a British Formula One racing team. The Oxfordshire-based team can trace its roots back through the Benetton team of the late 1980s and 1990s to the Toleman team of the early 1980s. Renault had also competed in various forms since , before taking...

The team secured an engine supply from Renault

Renault F1

in 1989. Renault engines subsequently powered Williams drivers to another four Drivers' and five constructors’ Championships up until Renault’s departure from Formula One at the end of 1997. The combination of Renault’s powerful engine and Adrian Newey

Adrian Newey

’s design expertise led to a particularly dominant period in the mid 1990s. Mansell had a record breaking 1992 season winning the title in record time and leading many races from pole to finish.
Some maintain that the Williams FW14

Williams FW14

The Williams FW14 was a Formula One car designed by Adrian Newey, used by the Williams team during the 1991 and 1992 Formula One seasons. The car was born out of necessity, as the 1989 and 1990 seasons had proven competitive for Williams, but they had underachieved in their own and Renault's eyes....

B and FW15C were "the most technologically advanced cars that will ever race in Formula One".

1989

The Renault era started in 1989

1989 Formula One season

The 1989 Formula One season was the 40th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1989 FIA Formula One World Championship, which commenced on March 26, 1989 and ended on November 5 after sixteen races...

, with Italian Riccardo Patrese

Riccardo Patrese

and Belgian Thierry Boutsen

Thierry Boutsen

Thierry Marc Boutsen is a former racing driver who raced for the Arrows, Benetton, Williams, Ligier and Jordan teams in Formula One.-Career:thumb|left|Boutsen driving for [[Arrows]] at the [[1984 Dallas Grand Prix]]....

at the helm of the two Williams cars. The engine’s first grand prix in Brazil

1989 Brazilian Grand Prix

The 1989 Brazilian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Jacarepaguá on March 26, 1989.-Report:The FIRST team withdrew before the beginning of the season, as the car had failed a mandatory FIA pre-season crash test...

was one that the team preferred to forget, with Boutsen retiring with an engine failure and Patrese with an alternator failure after leading, although Patrese did qualify second. The Williams Renault team managed to get back on track with Boutsen coming fourth in the next race at Imola

1989 San Marino Grand Prix

The 1989 San Marino Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Imola on April 23, 1989.- Race summary :The only change to the entry list for the San Marino Grand Prix was the arrival of Gabriele Tarquini in the second car of the small AGS team, which had only run one car in Brazil after Philippe...

, earning the team three points in their championship campaign. Two races later at the Mexican Grand Prix

1989 Mexican Grand Prix

The 1989 Mexican Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Mexico City on May 28, 1989.- Classification :- Notes :*Only point: Gabriele Tarquini*First Grand Prix start: Onyx...

, the team managed to achieve their first podium with the Renault engine, thanks to Patrese, who came second, 15 seconds behind the race winner Ayrton Senna

Ayrton Senna

Ayrton Senna da Silva was a Brazilian racing driver. A three-time Formula One world champion, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest F1 drivers of all time...

. The next race saw Patrese come second again, having started from 14th on the grid, with Boutsen 6th. At the sixth round in Canada

1989 Canadian Grand Prix

The 1989 Canadian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on June 18, 1989.It was the first Formula One victory for Belgian driver Thierry Boutsen, who won three F1 races overall, all during his two-year stint with Williams-Renault.- Classification :- Notes :*Lap...

, Williams not only scored their first win with the Renault engine but also their first one-two: Thierry Boutsen came first followed by Patrese, resulting in 15 points for Williams' championship campaign. Williams came second in the constructors’ championship, scoring 77 points in total; 64 points behind winners McLaren. Patrese finished 3rd in the drivers' championship with 40 points, 41 points behind the 1989 world champion, Alain Prost

Alain Prost

. Boutsen finished 5th in the championship with 37 points after also winning in Australia

1989 Australian Grand Prix

The 1989 Australian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Adelaide on November 5, 1989. It took place in wet conditions, and was stopped and restarted following a first-lap collision. Andrea de Cesaris spun at the same corner on two consecutive laps...

. Boutsen's win in Australia gave Williams the distinction of having won the first and last Grands Prix of the 1980s.

1990

In the 1990 season

1990 Formula One season

The 1990 Formula One season was the 41st season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1990 FIA Formula One World Championship which commenced on March 11, 1990 and ended on November 4 after sixteen races...

, Williams kept Patrese

Riccardo Patrese

and Boutsen

Thierry Boutsen

as the team’s drivers. Although Patrese won the San Marino Grand Prix

1990 San Marino Grand Prix

The 1990 San Marino Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 13 May 1990 at Imola. It was the third round of the 1990 Formula One season. It was the tenth San Marino Grand Prix and it was the eleventh time Imola hosted a Formula One Grand Prix...

and Boutsen won pole position and the race at the Hungarian Grand Prix

1990 Hungarian Grand Prix

The 1990 Hungarian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Hungaroring on August 12, 1990. It was the tenth round of the 1990 Formula One season. The race was the sixth Hungarian Grand Prix and the fifth to be held at the Hungaroring...

, the team scored 30 fewer points than the previous year and finished the constructors’ championship two positions lower, in fourth. In the drivers' championship, Boutsen finished sixth with 34 points and Patrese seventh with 23 points.

1991

Boutsen

Thierry Boutsen

left Williams and joined Ligier at the start of 1991

1991 Formula One season

The 1991 Formula One season was the 42nd season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1991 FIA Formula One World Championship, which commenced on March 10, 1991 and ended on November 3 after sixteen races...

. His replacement was Britain's Nigel Mansell

Nigel Mansell

Nigel Ernest James Mansell OBE is a British racing driver who won both the Formula One World Championship and the CART Indy Car World Series...

; Williams also recruited future 1996 world champion, Damon Hill

Damon Hill

, as one of their new test drivers. Williams failed to finish in the first Grand Prix of the season at Phoenix

1991 United States Grand Prix

The 1991 United States Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on March 10, 1991 in Phoenix, Arizona.__FORCETOC__-Summary:Ayrton Senna's new McLaren-Honda had not turned a wheel prior to arriving in Phoenix for the start of the 1991 Formula One season, but when it did, no one could even stay close...

, both drivers retiring with gearbox problems. Patrese got back on track for the team in the next Grand Prix at Interlagos

1991 Brazilian Grand Prix

The 1991 Brazilian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Interlagos on March 24, 1991.- Race summary :Ayrton Senna made a perfect start to lead from Nigel Mansell, Riccardo Patrese, Jean Alesi, Gerhard Berger and Alain Prost, building up a lead of some 3 seconds by lap 8. However Mansell was...

, coming second behind McLaren's Ayrton Senna

Ayrton Senna

Ayrton Senna da Silva was a Brazilian racing driver. A three-time Formula One world champion, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest F1 drivers of all time...

. The 1991 San Marino Grand Prix

1991 San Marino Grand Prix

The 1991 San Marino Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Imola on 28 April 1991.- Background :Stefan Johansson was replaced at AGS by F1 debutant Fabrizio Barbazza...

saw both cars retiring again: Mansell after a collision and Patrese with an electrical failure after 17 laps. The Grand Prix at Monaco

1991 Monaco Grand Prix

The 1991 Monaco Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Monaco on May 12, 1991.-Report:Ayrton Senna shocked no-one by taking pole position, but second place was a surprise with Stefano Modena taking full advantage of the superior Pirelli qualifying tyres to be second followed by Patrese, Piquet,...

saw Mansell finally finish in a points-scoring position, coming second, 18 seconds behind race winner Ayrton Senna. At the next race, the Canadian Grand Prix

1991 Canadian Grand Prix

The 1991 Canadian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on June 2, 1991.- Report :There had been a lot of action in the back rooms of Formula One between the Monaco and Canadian Grands Prix, with the most notable change being that Cesare Fiorio had been fired as team...

, Williams locked out the front row only for Patrese to drop back with gearbox problems and Mansell to retire from the lead on the final lap with an electrical fault. At the following race, in Mexico

1991 Mexican Grand Prix

The 1991 Mexican Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Mexico City on June 16, 1991. It was the sixth race of the 1991 Formula One season.-Report:...

, Williams finally broke their 1991 duck with a 1–2, Patrese finishing ahead of Mansell to score 16 points for the Williams team. Williams then had two consecutive further victories, with Mansell winning the French Grand Prix

1991 French Grand Prix

The 1991 French Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Magny-Cours on July 7, 1991. It was the seventh round of the 1991 Formula One season.-Report:The French Grand Prix had moved from its home in Paul Ricard to Magny-Cours to mixed reviews...

, five seconds ahead of Alain Prost

Alain Prost

’s Ferrari

Scuderia Ferrari

. Mansell then won again at the British Grand Prix

1991 British Grand Prix

The 1991 British Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Silverstone on 14 July 1991. It was the eighth round of the 1991 Formula One season.-Report:...

; it had been four years since a Briton had won the grand prix, Mansell having won it in 1987

1987 British Grand Prix

The 1987 British Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on 12 July 1987 at the Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone. It was the seventh race of the 1987 Formula One season.-Race summary:...

. Three consecutive victories became four when Mansell won again in Germany

1991 German Grand Prix

The 1991 German Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Hockenheimring on July 28, 1991. It was the ninth round of the 1991 Formula One season.-Report:...

, Patrese was about 10 seconds behind him in second place. Senna ended Williams' run of victories by winning in Hungary

1991 Hungarian Grand Prix

The 1991 Hungarian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Hungaroring on August 11, 1991. It was the tenth round of the 1991 Formula One season.- Report :...

, finishing five seconds ahead of Nigel Mansell. Mansell later won the Italian Grand Prix

1991 Italian Grand Prix

The 1991 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Monza on September 8, 1991. It was the twelfth round of the 1991 Formula One season.- Report :...

and the Spanish Grand Prix

1991 Spanish Grand Prix

The 1991 Spanish Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on September 29, 1991 at the Circuit de Catalunya. It was the fourteenth round of the 1991 Formula One season.- Report :...

, while Patrese won the Portuguese Grand Prix

1991 Portuguese Grand Prix

The 1991 Portuguese Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at the Autódromo do Estoril on September 22, 1991. It was the thirteenth round of the 1991 Formula One season.- Report :...

after Mansell's race was ruined by a botched pitstop in which only three wheel nuts were fitted. Williams finished second in the constructors’ championship, scoring 125 points in total, 14 points behind McLaren. Mansell finished second in the drivers' championship, scoring 72 points, 24 points behind Senna.

1992

Williams took a step up for the 1992 season

1992 Formula One season

The 1992 Formula One season was the 43rd FIA Formula One World Championship season. It commenced on March 1, 1992, and ended on November 8 after sixteen races...

, keeping their 1991

1991 Formula One season

driver line-up of Patrese

Riccardo Patrese

and Mansell

Nigel Mansell

Nigel Ernest James Mansell OBE is a British racing driver who won both the Formula One World Championship and the CART Indy Car World Series...

. Mansell dominated the first round in South Africa

1992 South African Grand Prix

The 1992 South African Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Kyalami on March 1, 1992. It was the first round of the 1992 Formula One season.- Classification :- Notes :...

, qualifying in pole position and winning the race by 24 seconds from his team-mate Patrese. Nigel Mansell won the next four rounds for Williams, at Mexico City

1992 Mexican Grand Prix

The 1992 Mexican Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Mexico City on March 22, 1992. It was the second round of the 1992 Formula One season.- Classification :- Notes :*Lap leaders: Nigel Mansell 69...

, Interlagos

1992 Brazilian Grand Prix

The 1992 Brazilian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Interlagos on April 5, 1992. It was the third round of the 1992 Formula One season.- Classification :- Notes :*Lap leaders: Riccardo Patrese 31 , Nigel Mansell 40...

, Catalunya

1992 Spanish Grand Prix

The 1992 Spanish Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on May 3, 1992 at the Circuit de Catalunya. It was the fourth round of the 1992 Formula One season.__FORCETOC__-Race:The race was also advertised as the Grand Prix of the Olympic Games...

and Imola

1992 San Marino Grand Prix

The 1992 San Marino Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Imola on May 17, 1992. It was the fifth round of the 1992 Formula One season.-Qualifying:...

, Patrese coming second in all but one (the Spanish Grand Prix

1992 Spanish Grand Prix

, where he retired after spinning off). Mansell's five victories in the opening five races was a new record in Formula One. Senna won the next race in Monaco

1992 Monaco Grand Prix

The 1992 Monaco Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on May 31, 1992 at the Monaco. It was the sixth round of the 1992 Formula One season. The race, contested over 78 laps was won by Ayrton Senna after a close battle for the lead in the final three laps with pole sitter Nigel Mansell...

, ahead of both Williams cars, which finished second and third. In the next race, in Canada

1992 Canadian Grand Prix

The 1992 Canadian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on June 14, 1992. It was the seventh round of the 1992 Formula One season.- Qualifying :...

, both Williams cars retired: Mansell spun off on entering the final corner (he claimed that Senna pushed him off) and Patrese had a gearbox failure. Mansell went on to record four more Grand Prix wins, including at the British Grand Prix

1992 British Grand Prix

The 1992 British Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Silverstone on July 12, 1992. It was the ninth round of the 1992 Formula One season...

. (In the final round, in Adelaide

1992 Australian Grand Prix

The 1992 Australian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Adelaide on November 8, 1992. It was the sixteenth and final round of the 1992 Formula One season. The most significant moment was a collision between Ayrton Senna and Nigel Mansell as the Brazilian attempted to overtake the...

, the two Williams again retired, Mansell after Senna violently crashed into the back of him, and Patrese with electrical problems.) Williams won the constructors’ championship with 164 points, 65 points more than second place McLaren. Mansell became World Champion, scoring 108 points, with Patrese finishing second with 56 points. In winning nine races in a single season Mansell had set a new record for the most wins by a single driver in one season.

Despite capturing the title and nine races, Nigel Mansell

Nigel Mansell

Nigel Ernest James Mansell OBE is a British racing driver who won both the Formula One World Championship and the CART Indy Car World Series...

's seat was not safe for 1993. Alain Prost

Alain Prost

and Ayrton Senna

Ayrton Senna

Ayrton Senna da Silva was a Brazilian racing driver. A three-time Formula One world champion, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest F1 drivers of all time...

were both trying to sign for Williams. Patrese's position looked to be under threat and he signed for Benetton

Benetton Formula

Benetton Formula Ltd., commonly referred to simply as Benetton, was a Formula One constructor that participated from to . The team was owned by the Benetton family who run a worldwide chain of clothing stores of the same name. In 2000 the team was purchased by Renault, but competed as Benetton for...

before the end of the year. Ironically, only Prost was able to agree terms with Williams for 1993

1993 Formula One season

The 1993 Formula One season was the 44th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1993 FIA Formula One World Championship, which commenced on March 14, 1993 and ended on November 7 after sixteen races...

, leaving a seat free for Patrese had he remained with the team. Upon hearing that Prost had signed with Williams, Mansell departed for CART

Champ Car

Champ Car was the name for a class and specification of open wheel cars used in American Championship Car Racing for many decades, primarily for use in the Indianapolis 500 auto race...

rather than be teammates with the Frenchman as they did not have a good relationship from their time together at Ferrari. Prost's contract with Williams included a clause that vetoed the signing of Senna for the 1993 season, and the Brazilian remained at McLaren.

1993

Nigel Mansell

Nigel Ernest James Mansell OBE is a British racing driver who won both the Formula One World Championship and the CART Indy Car World Series...

left the Williams team in for CART

Champ Car

Champ Car was the name for a class and specification of open wheel cars used in American Championship Car Racing for many decades, primarily for use in the Indianapolis 500 auto race...

racing, the team hired triple champion Alain Prost

Alain Prost

, and promoted test driver Damon Hill

Damon Hill

to replace Riccardo Patrese

Riccardo Patrese

, who had left to join Michael Schumacher

Michael Schumacher

Michael Schumacher is a German Formula One racing driver for the Mercedes GP team. Famous for his eleven-year spell with Ferrari, Schumacher is a seven-time World Champion and is widely regarded as the greatest F1 driver of all time...

at Benetton

Benetton Formula

.

The Williams FW15C

Williams FW15C

The Williams FW15C was a Renault-powered Formula One car designed by Adrian Newey and built by Williams Grand Prix Engineering. It was raced by Alain Prost and Damon Hill during the 1993 Formula One season....

was the dominant car, with active suspension and traction control systems beyond anything available to the other teams. Prost won on his debut for the team in South Africa

1993 South African Grand Prix

The 1993 South African Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Kyalami on March 14, 1993. It was the first round of the 1993 Formula One season....

and, like Mansell, dominated the weekend, taking pole position and finishing a minute ahead of Senna

Ayrton Senna

Ayrton Senna da Silva was a Brazilian racing driver. A three-time Formula One world champion, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest F1 drivers of all time...

, who was second. The next Grand Prix in Brazil

1993 Brazilian Grand Prix

The 1993 Brazilian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Interlagos on March 28, 1993. It was the second round of the 1993 Formula One season....

saw Prost collide with Christian Fittipaldi's Minardi in the rain on lap 29, while Hill went on to his first podium finish: second, 16 seconds behind Senna. Prost won three of the next four Grands Prix for Williams, Senna winning the other race. Prost and Hill later scored a 1–2 in France

1993 French Grand Prix

The 1993 French Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Magny-Cours on July 4, 1993. It was the eighth round of the 1993 Formula One season.- Qualifying :...

: the only 1–2 of the season for Williams. The Frenchman

French people

The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...

won the next two Grand Prix at Silverstone

1993 British Grand Prix

The 1993 British Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Silverstone on 11 July 1993. It was the ninth round of the 1993 Formula One season. Damon Hill appeared set for his first Formula One victory, before his engine failed on lap 42. This handed the win to his team-mate Alain Prost.Ayrton...

and Hockenheim

1993 German Grand Prix

The 1993 German Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Hockenheim on 25 July 1993. It was the tenth round of the 1993 Formula One season. Alain Prost scored his final Formula One victory after team-mate Damon Hill was denied a first win by a tyre problem on the penultimate lap...

. Prost’s team mate Hill proved competitive especially in the second half of the season. Mechanical problems cost the Englishman leads in Britain and Germany, but he went on to win the next three Grand Prix at Hungary

1993 Hungarian Grand Prix

The 1993 Hungarian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Hungaroring on 15 August 1993. It was the eleventh round of the 1993 Formula One season. It marked the first victory of Damon Hill, after he had retired while leading the last two races . He became the first son of a World Champion...

; Belgium

1993 Belgian Grand Prix

The 1993 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Spa-Francorchamps on August 29, 1993. It was the twelfth round of the 1993 Formula One season. Damon Hill scored a second successive victory. Alain Prost was leading the race and looked set to win, but a miscommunication during his...

and Italy

1993 Italian Grand Prix

The 1993 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Monza on September 12, 1993. It was the thirteenth round of the 1993 Formula One season.- Report :...

which moved him to second in the standings, as well as giving him a chance of taking the drivers' title. After Italy, Williams would not win a Grand Prix for the rest of the season, as a young Michael Schumacher

Michael Schumacher

won the following race in Portugal

1993 Portuguese Grand Prix

The 1993 Portuguese Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Estoril on September 26, 1993. It was the fourteenth round of the 1993 Formula One season. Michael Schumacher took his only win of the season, while second place was enough for Alain Prost to clinch the championship, after Ayrton...

, and Senna took Japan

1993 Japanese Grand Prix

The 1993 Japanese Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Suzuka on October 24, 1993. It was the fifteenth and penultimate round of the 1993 Formula One season....

and Australia

1993 Australian Grand Prix

The 1993 Australian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Adelaide on November 7, 1993. It was the final round of the 1993 Formula One season....

to overtake Hill in points. Williams retained their constructor’s title, 84 points ahead of second placed, McLaren. Prost clinched the driver’s championship in Portugal and finished the season 26 points ahead of second placed Ayrton Senna.

1994

During the 1994

1994 Formula One season

The 1994 Formula One season was the 45th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1994 FIA Formula One World Championship which commenced on March 27, 1994, and ended on November 13 after sixteen races. The season is remembered as one of the most tragic and controversial seasons in...

season, Williams used version FW16 (developed still during the pre-season) and FW16B (with shorter sidepods and opened airbox rear).

From 1994

1994 Formula One season

to 1997

1997 Formula One season

The 1997 Formula One season was the 48th FIA Formula One World Championship season. It commenced on March 9, 1997, and ended on October 26 after seventeen races.-Season summary:...

the cars ran in the blue and white Rothmans livery.

Williams secured the signing of Senna

Ayrton Senna

Ayrton Senna da Silva was a Brazilian racing driver. A three-time Formula One world champion, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest F1 drivers of all time...

in 1994

1994 Formula One season

, causing Alain Prost to retire rather than partner his greatest rival, as the contract prohibiting the signing of Senna covered only the 1993 season. Given this was the same team that had won the previous two World Championship

World championship

A world championship is the top achievement for any sport or contest. The title is usually awarded by contests, ranking systems, stature, ability, etc. This determines the best nation, team, individual in the world in a particular field. Certain sports do not have a world championship, instead...

s with vastly superior cars, Senna was a natural and presumptive pre-season title favourite, with second-year driver Damon Hill

Damon Hill

intended to play the supporting role. Between them, Prost, Senna, and Hill had won every race in 1993 but one, which was taken by Benetton's Michael Schumacher

Michael Schumacher

.

Pre-season testing showed the car

Williams FW16

The Williams FW16 was a Formula One car used by the Williams team for the 1994 Formula One season. It was designed by Adrian Newey with the major regulation changes that the FIA had introduced in the off-season, banning the electronic devices that had been used by the front running cars during the...

had speed but it was difficult to drive. The FIA had banned electronic drivers aids, such as active suspension

Active suspension

Active or adaptive suspension is an automotive technology that controls the vertical movement of the wheels with an onboard system rather than the movement being determined entirely by the road surface...

, traction control

Traction control system

A traction control system , also known as anti-slip regulation , is typically a secondary function of the anti-lock braking system on production motor vehicles, designed to prevent loss of traction of driven road wheels...

and ABS

Anti-lock braking system

An anti-lock braking system is a safety system that allows the wheels on a motor vehicle to continue interacting tractively with the road surface as directed by driver steering inputs while braking, preventing the wheels from locking up and therefore avoiding skidding.An ABS generally offers...

, to make the sport more "human". It was these technological advancements that the Williams chassis' of the previous years had been built around. With their removal in '94 Williams had not been a good-handling car, as observed by other F1 drivers, having been seen to be very loose at the rear. Senna himself had made numerous (politically careful) comments that the Williams FW16

Williams FW16

had some quirks which needed to be ironed out. It was obvious that the FW16, after the regulation changes banning active suspension and traction control, exhibited none of the superiority of the FW15C

Williams FW15C

and Williams FW14

Williams FW14

B cars that had preceded it. The surprise of testing was Benetton

Benetton Formula

-Ford

Ford Motor Company

Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...

which was less powerful but more nimble than the Williams.

The first four rounds were won by Michael Schumacher

Michael Schumacher

in the Benetton

Benetton Formula

-Ford

Ford Motor Company

. Senna took pole in the first three races but finished none of them. In the third race, the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix

1994 San Marino Grand Prix

The 1994 San Marino Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on May 1, 1994 at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, Imola, Italy. It was the third race of the 1994 Formula One season...

in Imola, Senna was involved in a fatal crash at the first corner after completing five laps. The repercussions of Senna's fatal accident were severe for the team itself, as the Italian prosecutors tried to charge the team and Frank Williams with manslaughter, an episode which was not over until 2005. At the next race in Monaco

1994 Monaco Grand Prix

The 1994 Monaco Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on May 15, 1994 at the Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo. The race, which was the fourth race of the 1994 Formula One season, was won by Michael Schumacher and was the first race following the death of Ayrton Senna in San Marino.- Background...

, Damon Hill

Damon Hill

was the only Williams on the grid, this was done as a mark of respect to Senna, the Brit retired on the first lap. Since Senna's death, every Williams F1 car has carried a Senna 'S' somewhere on its livery in his honour and to symbolise the team's ongoing support of the Ayrton Senna Foundation.

The next race in Spain

1994 Spanish Grand Prix

The 1994 Spanish Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on May 29, 1994 at the Circuit de Catalunya, Barcelona. It was the 36th Spanish Grand Prix to be held since the first was held at Guadarrama in 1913. It was the fourth to be held at Circuit de Catalunya...

, Williams brought in test driver, David Coulthard

David Coulthard

David Marshall Coulthard, MBE, , sometimes known as DC, is a British former Formula One racing driver from Scotland.Coulthard, who was born in Dumfries and raised nearby in Twynholm, made his Formula One debut in 1994 and won 13 Grands Prix in a career spanning 15 seasons...

, as Hill’s new teammate. In the race itself, Hill took the team's first victory of the season, by almost half a minute over Schumacher's

Michael Schumacher

Benetton

Benetton Formula

, while Coulthard would retire due to an electrical problem. In Canada

1994 Canadian Grand Prix

The 1994 Canadian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on June 12, 1994 at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Montreal. It was the sixth round of the 1994 Formula One season.-Race:...

, both Williams cars finished in the points for the first time that season, with Hill finishing second and Coulthard finishing fifth. Two rounds later, Damon Hill did something his father, Graham

Graham Hill

Norman Graham Hill was a British racing driver and two-time Formula One World Champion. He is the only driver to win the Triple Crown of Motorsport — the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Indianapolis 500 and Formula One World Championship.Graham Hill and his son Damon are the only father and son pair both to...

, never did, which was winning the British Grand Prix

1994 British Grand Prix

The 1994 British Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 10 July, 1994 at the Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone. It was the eighth race of the 1994 Formula One season. It marked the halfway stage of the season...

. Hill closed the gap with Schumacher in the championship, after the German

Germans

The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....

was disqualified from first at Spa

1994 Belgian Grand Prix

The 1994 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on August 28, 1994 at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Spa. It was the eleventh race of the 1994 Formula One season.-Background:...

after the Stewards found floorboard irregularities on his Benetton. He was banned for the next two races, in which Hill capitalised on with wins in Italy

1994 Italian Grand Prix

The 1994 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on September 11, 1994 at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza, Monza. It was the twelfth race of the 1994 Formula One season....

and a Williams 1–2 in Portugal

1994 Portuguese Grand Prix

The 1994 Portuguese Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on September 25, 1994 at the Autódromo do Estoril, Estoril. It was the thirteenth race of the 1994 Formula One season.-Qualifying:-Race:- Notes :...

. Schumacher would come back after his suspension for the European Grand Prix

1994 European Grand Prix

The 1994 European Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on October 16, 1994 at the Circuito Permanente de Jerez, Jerez, Spain. It was the fourteenth race of the 1994 Formula One season.- History :...

, which he won by about 25 seconds. By the penultimate round in Japan

1994 Japanese Grand Prix

The 1994 Japanese Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on November 6, 1994 at the Suzuka Circuit, Suzuka. It was the fifteenth and penultimate race of the 1994 Formula One season....

, Hill was 5 points behind Schumacher and if he did not finish ahead of the German

Germans

The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....

, it would be very unlikely that he would take the title in the final round in Adelaide, however Hill did win the rain-soaked restart, by three seconds to Schumacher who finished second and so to the final round in Adelaide

1994 Australian Grand Prix

The 1994 Australian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on November 13, 1994 at the Adelaide Street Circuit. It was the sixteenth and final race of the 1994 Formula One season. The race is remembered for an incident involving the two title contenders Damon Hill and Michael Schumacher which...

, where Schumacher led Hill by one point.

With four races left, Frank Williams brought back in 1992 champion Nigel Mansell

Nigel Mansell

Nigel Ernest James Mansell OBE is a British racing driver who won both the Formula One World Championship and the CART Indy Car World Series...

to replace Coulthard. Mansell would get approximately £900,000 per race, while Hill was paid £300,000 for the entire season, though Hill remained as lead driver.

Mansell would take pole for Williams, however he had a poor start which gave way for Hill and Schumacher to fight it out for the lead and the 1994 title. Mid way through the race, Schumacher’s tactics for low aerodynamics, would cost him as he clipped the wall coming into the fifth corner and went wide. Schumacher and Hill would end up colliding on the next corner, and the double retirement that resulted meant Schumacher was the champion. This collision has been controversial. Some, such as Williams' Patrick Head

Patrick Head

, have suggested that this was a deliberate attempt by Schumacher to take Hill out of the race. However others, such as then BBC commentator Murray Walker, defended Schumacher, calling the accident a "racing incident".
Williams would end the season as constructors champions for the third consecutive year, scoring 118 points, while Hill finished second in the drivers championship with 91 points.

1995

In 1995

1995 Formula One season

The 1995 Formula One season was the 46th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1995 FIA Formula One World Championship, which was contested over 17 races from March 26 to November 12, 1995. For the second year in succession, the Drivers' Championship was won by Michael Schumacher,...

, Nigel Mansell

Nigel Mansell

Nigel Ernest James Mansell OBE is a British racing driver who won both the Formula One World Championship and the CART Indy Car World Series...

left Williams again, this time he moved to McLaren to leave Williams with Hill

Damon Hill

and Coulthard

David Coulthard

. At the first round in Brazil

1995 Brazilian Grand Prix

The 1995 Brazilian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on March 26, 1995 at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace, São Paulo, Brazil. It was the first round of the 1995 Formula One season. The race, contested over 71 laps, was won by Michael Schumacher for the Benetton team after...

, Schumacher

Michael Schumacher

started off with a win, with Coulthard coming second. However, both were disqualified from the race after it was found that their fuel supplier, Elf, supplied the teams with a type of fuel that was different than the ones they gave to the FIA

Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile

The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile is a non-profit association established as the Association Internationale des Automobile Clubs Reconnus on 20 June 1904 to represent the interests of motoring organisations and motor car users...

as samples. So Gerhard Berger

Gerhard Berger

Gerhard Berger, is an Austrian former Formula One racing driver, who previously owned 50% of the Scuderia Toro Rosso Formula One team until he sold his share back to energy drink owner Dietrich Mateschitz in November 2008....

and Ferrari were declared winners, until Schumacher and Coulthard had their positions reinstated after appeal, though Benetton and Williams were not awarded their constructors points. Hill won the next two races in Argentina

1995 Argentine Grand Prix

The 1995 Argentine Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on April 9, 1995 at the Autódromo Oscar Alfredo Gálvez, Buenos Aires, Argentina. It was the second round of the 1995 Formula One season and was the first Formula One race to take place in Argentina since...

and San Marino

1995 San Marino Grand Prix

The 1995 San Marino Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on April 30, 1995 at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, Imola. It was the third race of the 1995 Formula One season....

and would later win two more races, which were at The Hungaroring

1995 Hungarian Grand Prix

The 1995 Hungarian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on August 13, 1995 at the Hungaroring, Budapest. It was the tenth race of the 1995 Formula One season....

and in Adelaide

1995 Australian Grand Prix

The 1995 Australian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on November 12, 1995 at the Adelaide Street Circuit, Adelaide. It was the seventeenth and final race of the 1995 Formula One season...

, the latter where Hill won two laps ahead of the field in one of F1's most dominating victories. Coulthard would also record his only win for the Williams team, at Estoril

1995 Portuguese Grand Prix

The 1995 Portuguese Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on September 24, 1995 at the Autódromo do Estoril, Estoril, Portugal. It was the thirteenth race of the 1995 Formula One season...

, before moving to McLaren. Benetton

Benetton Formula

would end Williams' four year dominance after they won the championship 29 points ahead Williams. Hill would come second for the second year running, 33 points behind Schumacher.

1996

For 1996

1996 Formula One season

The 1996 Formula One season was the 47th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1996 FIA Formula One World Championship, which commenced on March 10, 1996, and ended on October 13 after sixteen races...

, Williams clearly had the quickest and most reliable car. Coulthard had left Williams to join Mika Häkkinen

Mika Häkkinen

Mika Pauli Häkkinen is a Finnish racing driver and two-time Formula One World Champion...

at McLaren, Williams replaced the Scotsman

Scottish people

The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...

with Canadian Jacques Villeneuve

Jacques Villeneuve

Jacques Joseph Charles Villeneuve, , is a Canadian musician and automobile racing driver. He is the son of the late Formula One driver Gilles Villeneuve, and is the namesake of his uncle...

, while Hill

Damon Hill

remained with the team. Schumacher

Michael Schumacher

left Benetton

Benetton Formula

to join Ferrari

Scuderia Ferrari

. Williams won the first five Grands Prix, Hill winning all but one of them. Olivier Panis

Olivier Panis

Olivier Panis is a French racing driver. Panis is best known in F1 not only as a test driver for the McLaren team but for his win at the eventful Monaco Grand Prix in 1996 for the Ligier team after starting 14th...

would take victory at the sixth round in Monaco

1996 Monaco Grand Prix

The 1996 Monaco Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Monaco on May 19, 1996. The race was run in wet weather, causing significant attrition and setting a record for the least number of cars to be running at the end of a Grand Prix race...

after both Williams cars retired. Hill would retire for the second time in a row after he spun off in Spain

1996 Spanish Grand Prix

The 1996 Spanish Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on June 2, 1996 at the Circuit de Catalunya.This race, Michael Schumacher's first Ferrari victory, is generally regarded as one of his finest...

, while his team mate, Villeneuve, took third place. Hill and Villeneuve dominated the next Grand Prix in Canada

1996 Canadian Grand Prix

The 1996 Canadian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on June 16, 1996. The race was won by Damon Hill ahead of home hero Jacques Villeneuve, Gilles' son....

, with a 1–2 in qualifying and a 1–2 in the race. Williams made it a second 1–2 after Hill won the French Grand Prix

1996 French Grand Prix

The 1996 French Grand Prix was a Formula One race, held at Magny-Cours on June 30, 1996.-Qualifying:-Race:- Notes :*Fastest Lap: Jacques Villeneuve 1:18.610*The engine of polesitter Schumacher's Ferrari failed on the formation lap...

. Villeneuve won his second race in F1 at Silverstone

1996 British Grand Prix

The 1996 British Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on July 14, 1996 at Silverstone. Jacques Villeneuve was the winner. After making a slow start from pole position, Damon Hill retired after a wheelnut problem caused him to spin off the circuit while he was trying to pass Mika Häkkinen...

after Hill retired with a wheel bearing failure on lap 26. The Brit would be victorious in the next Grand Prix in Germany

1996 German Grand Prix

The 1996 German Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on July 28, 1996 at Hockenheimring. Damon Hill started the race on pole position, and won it after Gerhard Berger's engine failed with 4 laps to go.-Qualifying:- Race :- Notes :...

while Villeneuve would win the race after that in Hungary

1996 Hungarian Grand Prix

The 1996 Hungarian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on August 11, 1996 at Hungaroring.- Classification :- Notes :* Pole position: Michael Schumacher 1:17.129* Fastest lap: Damon Hill 1:20.093* Williams secured the Constructors Championship....

. Schumacher’s Ferrari would then take the next two Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps

1996 Belgian Grand Prix

The 1996 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on August 25, 1996 at Spa-Francorchamps.- Classification :- Notes :* Pole position: Jacques Villeneuve 1:50.574* Fastest lap: Gerhard Berger 1:53.067...

and Monza

1996 Italian Grand Prix

The 1996 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on September 8, 1996 at Monza.-Pre-race:To stop cars kerb-hopping at chicanes due to ongoing track modifications at the time of the race, tyre barriers were erected at each chicane.-Race:...

. Villeneuve mounted a title challenge going into the final race of the season at Japan

1996 Japanese Grand Prix

The 1996 Japanese Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on October 13, 1996 at Suzuka. Jacques Villeneuve's retirement ended his small chance of the title, handing it to Damon Hill...

, but Hill reasserted his dominance to take the race and the 1996 title, while Villeneuve lost a wheel and retired.

Williams' dominance was such that they had clinched the constructors' championship and only their drivers had a mathematical chance of taking the title, several races before the season concluded. Around that time, Frank Williams announced that Hill would not be re-signed after his contract expired, despite Hill's successes and eventual drivers' championship, so he joined Arrows

Arrows

Arrows Grand Prix International was a British Formula One team active from to . For a period of time, it was also known as Footwork.-Origins :...

for 1997. Also, Adrian Newey

Adrian Newey

had ambitions to succeed Patrick Head

Patrick Head

as technical director, but this was blocked as Head was a founder and shareholder of the team. McLaren lured Newey away, though he was forced to take garden leave for the 1997 season.

1997

For what would be the final season of Williams-Renault and a car designed with Newey's input, Frank Williams brought in German

Germans

The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....

Heinz-Harald Frentzen

Heinz-Harald Frentzen is a German racing driver most famous for his career in Formula One. At various times driving for Williams, Jordan, Sauber, Prost, and Arrows, he achieved three race wins before his retirement from F1 in 2003.-Early career:He was born in the West German city of...

, under the impression that he could perform better than Hill. Frentzen, however, proved to be a disappointment and won only one race in his two year spell at Williams, which was at 1997 San Marino Grand Prix

1997 San Marino Grand Prix

The 1997 San Marino Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari near Imola, Italy on April 27, 1997. It was the fourth race of the 1997 Formula One season.-Pre-race:...

. Jacques Villeneuve

Jacques Villeneuve

Jacques Joseph Charles Villeneuve, , is a Canadian musician and automobile racing driver. He is the son of the late Formula One driver Gilles Villeneuve, and is the namesake of his uncle...

won seven races during the season, with his main rival, Michael Schumacher

Michael Schumacher

of a resurgent Ferrari, winning five. Williams also achieved the 100 race win milstone at the British Grand Prix

1997 British Grand Prix

. Coming to the final round of the season at Jerez

1997 European Grand Prix

The 1997 European Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on October 26, 1997 at the Circuito Permanente de Jerez, Spain. Originally scheduled as the Grand Prix of Portugal at the Estoril circuit, it was moved when Estoril’s management had financial difficulties. It was the 17th and final...

, Schumacher lead the Canadian by 1 point, however on lap 48, Schumacher and Villeneuve collided. Schumacher was disqualified from second place in the championship as the accident was deemed by the FIA as "avoidable", Williams won the constructors title for the second time in a row, scoring 123 points, while Jacques Villeneuve won the driver’s championship by three points to Michael Schumacher, who kept his points total despite being removed from second place, with Williams team-mate Frentzen a further thirty six points behind.

1998

After 1997, the team were unable to maintain their dominance in Formula 1 as Renault ended their full time involvement in Formula 1, and Adrian Newey

Adrian Newey

moved to rival team McLaren. Williams then had to pay for Mecachrome

Mecachrome

Mecachrome SAS is a precision engineering company involved in aviation, the automotive industry, motor racing and industrial engineering, but is most famous for assembling the engines designed by Renault for the Renault Formula One team.-Formula One:...

engines, which were old; rebadged Renault

Renault F1

engines. Both these meant that the car not only featured a very similar aerodynamic package to their 1997 car, but also virtually the same engine, leading to some to comment that they ran what was virtually the same car, adjust for the 1998 regulations. There were changes on the sponsorship front however as Rothman

Rothman

Rothman is a surname and may refer to:* Barbara Katz Rothman , sociologist* Benny Rothman , political activist* David Rothman , statistician* David Rothman, professor of medicine...

s opted to promote their Winfield

Winfield (cigarette)

Winfield is a brand of cigarette that is popular in Australia and New Zealand. They are also sold in other markets in Europe, Canada, South Africa and Asia...

brand, which ended the popular blue and white livery. For 1998

1998 Formula One season

The 1998 Formula One season was the 49th FIA Formula One World Championship season. It commenced on March 8, 1998, and ended on November 1 after sixteen races.-Season summary:...

, Williams kept the two drivers from the previous season, the first time since 1983

1983 Formula One season

that a reigning world champion remained driving for Williams. While Ferrari and McLaren battled for the constructors' and drivers' titles, Williams fell to the mid of the field. The team won no races and took 3 podiums during the season, with Frentzen finishing in third at the first round in Australia

1998 Australian Grand Prix

The 1998 Australian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at the Albert Park street circuit in inner Melbourne on 8 March. It was the 63rd race in the combined history of the Australian Grand Prix that dates back to the 100 Miles Road Race of 1928...

and Villeneuve finishing third in Germany

1998 German Grand Prix

The 1998 German Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at the Hockenheimring on August 2, 1998. Mika Häkkinen won the race for McLaren Mercedes.-Qualifying:...

and Hungary

1998 Hungarian Grand Prix

The 1998 Hungarian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at the Hungaroring on August 16, 1998.The race was won by Michael Schumacher, who started the race 16 points behind Mika Häkkinen, and was behind both McLarens for the first half of the race, which would have effectively ended his...

. Williams finished third in the constructors championship, scoring 38 points, while Villeneuve finished fifth in the driver’s championship with 21 points and his German team mate, Frentzen, finished 4 points behind him in seventh.

1999

In 1999

1999 Formula One season

The 1999 Formula One season was the 50th FIA Formula One World Championship season. It commenced on March 7, 1999, and ended on October 31 after sixteen races. The season saw the introduction of a new event to the World Championship calendar, the Malaysian Grand Prix...

, Williams employed a completely new driver line up, Villeneuve

Jacques Villeneuve

Jacques Joseph Charles Villeneuve, , is a Canadian musician and automobile racing driver. He is the son of the late Formula One driver Gilles Villeneuve, and is the namesake of his uncle...

moved to new team, BAR

British American Racing

British American Racing was a Formula One constructor that competed in the sport from 1999 to 2005. BAR began by acquiring Tyrrell, and used Supertec engines for their first year...

and Frentzen

Heinz-Harald Frentzen

moved to Jordan

Jordan Grand Prix

Jordan Grand Prix was a Formula One constructor that competed from 1991 to 2005. The team is named after Irish businessman and founder Eddie Jordan...

. Williams brought in German

Germans

The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....

Ralf Schumacher

Ralf Schumacher is a German racing driver, and the younger brother of seven-time Formula One World Champion Michael Schumacher...

and Italian Alex Zanardi

Alex Zanardi

Alessandro "Alex" Zanardi is an Italian racing driver and paracyclist.He won two CART championship titles in North America during the late 1990s. He also had a less successful career as a Formula One driver...

. The team managed three podiums, all scored by Ralf Schumacher, with third place in Australia

1999 Australian Grand Prix

The 1999 Australian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on 7 March 1999 at the Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit in Melbourne, Australia. It was the first race of the 1999 Formula One season – the 50th World Championship season in the history of Formula One....

and Britain

1999 British Grand Prix

The 1999 British Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on July 11, 1999 at the Silverstone Circuit near Silverstone, England. It was the eighth race of the 1999 Formula One season....

, along with a second place in Italy

1999 Italian Grand Prix

The 1999 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on September 12, 1999 at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza near Monza, Italy. It was the thirteenth race of the 1999 Formula One season....

. The team finished fifth in the constructor’s championship, the lowest finish for Williams in the 1990s; the team finished behind Stewart

Stewart Grand Prix

Stewart Grand Prix is a former Formula One constructor and racing team. The team was formed by three times Formula One champion Jackie Stewart and his son Paul Stewart in 1996. The team competed in F1, as the Ford works-supported team, for only three seasons, from 1997 to 1999...

and Jordan

Jordan Grand Prix

Jordan Grand Prix was a Formula One constructor that competed from 1991 to 2005. The team is named after Irish businessman and founder Eddie Jordan...

; scoring 35 points (all by Schumacher), 3 less than the previous season.

BMW and Cosworth (2000–2006)

Related Articles: BMW
BMW
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916. It also owns and produces the Mini marque, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW produces motorcycles under BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna brands...

, BMW in Formula One

2000

During 1998, the team signed a long term agreement with BMW

BMW

, with the German manufacturer supplying engines and expertise for a period of 6 years. As part of the deal BMW expected at least one driver to be German

Germans

The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....

and Ralf Schumacher

Ralf Schumacher

Ralf Schumacher is a German racing driver, and the younger brother of seven-time Formula One World Champion Michael Schumacher...

was signed. In 1999, the team had a Williams car with a BMW engine testing at circuits, in preparation for a debut in 2000

2000 Formula One season

. Williams sought the services of Colombian

Colombian people

Colombian people are from a multiethnic Spanish speaking nation in South America called Colombia. Colombians are predominantly Roman Catholic and are a mixture of Europeans, Africans, and Amerindians.-Demography:...

Juan Pablo Montoya

Juan Pablo Montoya Roldán is a Colombian race car driver known internationally for participating and winning in Formula One and CART race competitions. He has enjoyed great success. Currently, he competes in NASCAR, driving the #42 Target Chevrolet Impala for Earnhardt Ganassi Racing in the Sprint...

as a proven racer for the up coming season but he was initially unavailable, so Britain's Jenson Button

Jenson Button

made his debut instead.

BMW Williams' first season did not see a single victory during the season, they did however, manage to get on the podium three times, Ralf Schumacher

Ralf Schumacher

Ralf Schumacher is a German racing driver, and the younger brother of seven-time Formula One World Champion Michael Schumacher...

responsible for all three. Williams finished third in the constructor’s championship, with 36 points; one more than last year. Ralf Schumacher

Ralf Schumacher

Ralf Schumacher is a German racing driver, and the younger brother of seven-time Formula One World Champion Michael Schumacher...

finished fifth in the driver’s championship, while Button, in his debut season, finished three places behind in eighth. Button made some scrappy mistakes in early races (Monaco, Europe), but overall made an impressive debut in Melbourne, and continued to impress, notably at Silverstone, Spa and Suzuka.

2001

In 2001

2001 Formula One season

The 2001 Formula One season was the 52nd season of FIA Formula One racing. It featured the FIA Formula One World Championship which commenced on March 4, 2001 and ended on October 14 after seventeen races. Michael Schumacher won the Drivers title with a record margin of 58 points, after achieving...

Button moved to Benetton

Benetton Formula

-Renault

Renault F1

due to Montoya's

Juan Pablo Montoya

arrival at the team. The FW23

Williams FW23

The Williams FW23 was the car with which the Williams team competed in the Formula One season. It was raced in competition by Ralf Schumacher, who was in his third year with the team, and Juan Pablo Montoya, a previous Formula 3000 and CART champion who was making his F1 début.2001 was Williams'...

won four races, three by Ralf Schumacher

Ralf Schumacher

Ralf Schumacher is a German racing driver, and the younger brother of seven-time Formula One World Champion Michael Schumacher...

at Imola, Montreal

2001 Canadian Grand Prix

The 2001 Canadian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on June 10, 2001. It was the 8th round of the 2001 Formula One season.-Race:...

, and his home Grand Prix in Germany. His teammate, Montoya, was victorious at Monza

2001 Italian Grand Prix

The 2001 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Monza on September 16, 2001.This was the first F1 race held after the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States. As a mark of respect, several teams altered their cars' liveries. The Ferraris ran without any sponsorship livery and...

, and would have won a few more races if not for the FW23's unreliability and pit crew blunders. The car proved to be quicker than the Ferrari and McLaren counterparts in several races, but Williams' 2001 campaign only yielded third place in the constructor’s championship.

2002

For 2002

2002 Formula One season

The 2002 Formula One season was the 53rd FIA Formula One World Championship season. It commenced on March 3, 2002, and ended on October 13 after seventeen races....

, Williams kept their 2001

2001 Formula One season

driver line up for the upcoming season. The team only won one race, which was at Malaysia

2002 Malaysian Grand Prix

The 2002 Malaysian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on March 17, 2002 at the Sepang International Circuit and was the second race of the 2002 Formula One season. The Grand Prix is notable for the first lap collision between Williams driver Juan Pablo Montoya and Ferrari's Michael Schumacher,...

, one of only 2 races not won by Ferrari in a year dominated by the Ferraris

Ferrari F2002

The Ferrari F2002 was one of the most successful Formula One car designs of all time. Designed by Ross Brawn, Rory Byrne and Paolo Martinelli, it won fifteen Grands Prix, from a total of nineteen races in 2002 and 2003....

of Michael Schumacher

Michael Schumacher

and Rubens Barrichello

Rubens Barrichello

Rubens Gonçalves "Rubinho" Barrichello is a Brazilian Formula One racing driver. He is currently racing for Williams F1.Barrichello has scored the seventh highest points total in Formula One history. Barrichello drove for Ferrari from to , as Michael Schumacher's teammate, enjoying considerable...

. Williams did improve on their constructor’s championship position, finishing in second. Montoya finished third in the driver’s championship, eight points ahead of Ralf Schumacher, who finished fourth.

2003

2003

2003 Formula One season

The 2003 Formula One season was the 54th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 2003 FIA Formula One World Championship, which commenced on March 9, 2003 and ended on October 12 after sixteen races...

would see BMW Williams reach their peak of success, during pre-season, Frank Williams was very confident that the FW25

Williams FW25

The Williams FW25 is a Formula One car designed by Williams and powered by a BMW V10 engine. The car was used by Williams for the 2003 championship...

would challenge for the title. The team won four races, Montoya winning twice at Monaco and Germany, while Ralf Schumacher won at the Nürburgring and the following race at Magny-Cours

2003 French Grand Prix

The 2003 French Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on July 6, 2003 at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours.__FORCETOC__- Classification :- Notes :*Fastest Lap: Juan Pablo Montoya 1:15.512...

. Montoya stayed in contention for the driver’s championship during the season, the Colombian finished third in the championship, 11 points behind Michael Schumacher

Michael Schumacher

, while the younger Schumacher finished 24 points astern of Montoya in fifth. Williams finished second in the constructor’s championship, two points ahead of McLaren.

2004

At the start of the 2004 season

2004 Formula One season

The 2004 Formula One season was the 55th FIA Formula One World Championship season, running from March 7 to October 24, 2004. The season was dominated by Michael Schumacher and Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro...

it was announced that Montoya would be moving to McLaren in 2005. The team began the season with a radical nose-cone design, known as the "Walrus

Walrus

The walrus is a large flippered marine mammal with a discontinuous circumpolar distribution in the Arctic Ocean and sub-Arctic seas of the Northern Hemisphere. The walrus is the only living species in the Odobenidae family and Odobenus genus. It is subdivided into three subspecies: the Atlantic...

-Nose", that proved uncompetitive and was replaced by a more conventional assembly in the second half of the year. Ferrari

Scuderia Ferrari

for the third time running, dominated the season, winning 15 of the 18 races, Williams did however pick up a win during the season, which was at the final race in Brazil, Juan Pablo Montoya

Juan Pablo Montoya

winning the race by a second to Kimi Räikkönen

Kimi Räikkönen

Kimi Matias Räikkönen , nicknamed Iceman, is a Finnish racing driver, who will drive in Formula One for Lotus in . After nine seasons racing in Formula One, in which he took the Formula One World Drivers' Championship, he competed in the World Rally Championship from 2009-2011.Räikkönen entered...

's McLaren; this remains Williams' last F1 win to date. Another memorable part of the season was when both Williams and Toyota were disqualified from the Canadian Grand Prix

2004 Canadian Grand Prix

The 2004 Canadian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on June 13, 2004 at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.It was won by Michael Schumacher, with teammate Rubens Barrichello second, making for a 1-2 finish for the Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro as part of a season where Ferrari took the most wins of the...

after it was discovered that both cars had brake irregularities, the brake ducts seemingly not conforming to regulations. Williams finished the season in fourth, scoring 88 points and finishing on the podium six times. While Montoya was the highest placed Williams driver that year, finishing in fifth position; scoring 58 points.

2005

For the 2005 season

2005 Formula One season

The 2005 Formula One season was the 56th FIA Formula One World Championship season, contested over a record 19 Grands Prix. It commenced on March 6, 2005, and ended October 16....

, Schumacher

Ralf Schumacher

Ralf Schumacher is a German racing driver, and the younger brother of seven-time Formula One World Champion Michael Schumacher...

moved to Toyota; while Montoya

Juan Pablo Montoya

moved to McLaren. Taking their places were Australian Mark Webber

Mark Webber

Mark Alan Webber is an Australian Formula One driver.After some racing success in Australia, Webber moved to the United Kingdom in 1995 to further his motorsport career...

and German

Germans

The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....

Nick Heidfeld

Nick Lars Heidfeld is a German racing driver.Despite scoring regular podium finishes in and , Heidfeld has yet to win a race since entering Formula One in . This means that amongst the current drivers, he has had the most GP starts without standing at the top spot on the podium...

. Initially Jenson Button

Jenson Button

was to have driven for Williams in 2005, but an FIA

Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile

ruling forced Button to remain with his current team BAR

British American Racing

British American Racing was a Formula One constructor that competed in the sport from 1999 to 2005. BAR began by acquiring Tyrrell, and used Supertec engines for their first year...

. Nick Heidfeld

Nick Heidfeld

competed with Brazilian test driver Antônio Pizzonia

Antônio Pizzonia

Antônio Reginaldo Pizzonia Júnior is a Brazilian racing driver who has raced in Formula One and the Champ Car World Series.He is nicknamed "Jungle Boy", a reference to his native Amazonas...

for the remaining racing seat during December 2004 and January 2005, and Heidfeld was chosen, partly in deference to BMW’s wishes for a German driver. Pizzonia served as the test driver for the team during the 2005 season. Meanwhile, Button signed a contract to drive for Williams in 2006

2006 Formula One season

The 2006 Formula One season was the 57th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 2006 FIA Formula One World Championship which began on March 12 and ended on October 22 after eighteen races. The Drivers' Championship was won by Fernando Alonso of Renault F1 for the second year in a...

During the course of the 2004

2004 Formula One season

and 2005

2005 Formula One season

The 2005 Formula One season was the 56th FIA Formula One World Championship season, contested over a record 19 Grands Prix. It commenced on March 6, 2005, and ended October 16....

F1 seasons, BMW Motorsport

BMW Motorsport

BMW Motorsport is the division of BMW responsible for motorsport-related activities, including works-run competition programmes in touring car racing, sportscar racing and Formula One.-See also:* BMW M* BMW in motorsport* BMW Sauber* Schnitzer Motorsport...

and director Mario Theissen

Mario Theissen

Dr. Mario Theissen is the former BMW Motorsport Director and was team principal of BMW Sauber, the company's Formula One team from 2005 until 2009, when BMW sold the team back to Peter Sauber....

increasingly became publicly critical of the WilliamsF1 team’s inability to create a package capable of winning the constructors championship, or even multiple victories within a single season. Williams, on the other hand, blamed BMW for not producing a good enough engine. Williams' failed attempt to prise Jenson Button

Jenson Button

out of his BAR contract may also have been an issue with Theissen. Despite Frank Williams' rare decision to cave in to commercial demands by employing German driver Nick Heidfeld

Nick Heidfeld

when he allegedly preferred Antônio Pizzonia

Antônio Pizzonia

Antônio Reginaldo Pizzonia Júnior is a Brazilian racing driver who has raced in Formula One and the Champ Car World Series.He is nicknamed "Jungle Boy", a reference to his native Amazonas...

, the fallout between BMW and Williams continued through the 2005 Formula One season

2005 Formula One season

The 2005 Formula One season was the 56th FIA Formula One World Championship season, contested over a record 19 Grands Prix. It commenced on March 6, 2005, and ended October 16....

. Despite BMW's contract with Williams to supply engines until 2009, this public deterioration of the relationship between BMW and WilliamsF1 was a factor in the decision by BMW Motorsport to buy Sauber

Sauber

Sauber F1 Team is a Swiss Formula One team. It was founded in the 1970s by Peter Sauber, who progressed through hillclimbing and the World Sportscar Championship to reach Formula One in 1993....

and rebrand that team to feature the BMW name.

Williams could have opted to continue with BMW engines in 2006

2006 Formula One season

, despite the fact that the engine manufacturer was about to set up its own team. In the end, though, Williams opted for Cosworth

Cosworth

Cosworth is a high performance engineering company founded in London in 1958, specialising in engines and electronics for automobile racing , mainstream automotive and defence industries...

V8 engines for 2006.

This period (–) saw Williams depart from the standard livery scheme in motorsport, which consists of one colour scheme, either the teams' or the major sponsors', with smaller logos in their own scheme. BMW stipulated that, and paid for, the whole vehicle to be in blue and white, with other sponsors adopting this scheme. Also in 2000

2000 Formula One season

, Williams abandoned tobacco advertising in favour of Information technology companies, as the team’s second major sponsor became Compaq

Compaq

Compaq Computer Corporation is a personal computer company founded in 1982. Once the largest supplier of personal computing systems in the world, Compaq existed as an independent corporation until 2002, when it was acquired for US$25 billion by Hewlett-Packard....

. That sponsorship lasted until Compaq’s acquisition by Hewlett-Packard

Hewlett-Packard

Hewlett-Packard Company or HP is an American multinational information technology corporation headquartered in Palo Alto, California, USA that provides products, technologies, softwares, solutions and services to consumers, small- and medium-sized businesses and large enterprises, including...

. At the 2002 British Grand Prix, the team debuted the Hewlett-Packard sponsorship. After complaints about the HP logo on the rear wing it was replaced in 2003

2003 Formula One season

with the sponsor’s tag line, "Invent". One of the most memorable results of this technological partnership was a worldwide television commercial featured drivers Ralf Schumacher

Ralf Schumacher

Ralf Schumacher is a German racing driver, and the younger brother of seven-time Formula One World Champion Michael Schumacher...

and Juan Pablo Montoya

Juan Pablo Montoya

seemingly driving their BMW Williams cars around a track by radio control from a grandstand.

This "clean" image allowed Williams to sign a cigarette anti-craving brand, Niquitin

Niquitin

NiQuitin is a range of nicotine replacement products designed to help smokers quit by replacing the nicotine supplied by cigarettes with a lower, steadier level in order to relieve withdrawal. This is to help users wean off nicotine gradually. Nicotine replacement therapy products NiQuitin is a...

, and Anheuser-Busch

Anheuser-Busch

Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc. , is an American brewing company. The company operates 12 breweries in the United States and 18 in other countries. It was, until December 2009, also one of America's largest theme park operators; operating ten theme parks across the United States through the...

, alternating with the Budweiser

Budweiser (Anheuser-Busch)

Budweiser is a 5.0% abv American-style lager introduced in 1876 by Adolphus Busch and one of the highest selling beers in the United States. It is made with up to 30% rice in addition to hops and barley malt. Budweiser is produced in various breweries located around the world...

beer brand and Sea World

Sea World

Sea World is a marine mammal park, oceanarium, and theme park located on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. It includes rides, animal exhibits and other attractions, and promotes conservation through education and through the rescue and rehabilitation of sick, injured or orphaned wildlife. The...

Adventure Parks, in compliance with trademark disputes or alcohol bans.

2006

Related Article: Cosworth
Cosworth
Cosworth is a high performance engineering company founded in London in 1958, specialising in engines and electronics for automobile racing , mainstream automotive and defence industries...

The 2006 season

2006 Formula One season

saw Nico Rosberg

Nico Rosberg

Nico Erik Rosberg is a racing driver for the Mercedes GP Formula One team. He races under the German flag in Formula One, although he competed for Finland earlier in his career...

replace Nick Heidfeld

Nick Heidfeld

, who departed for BMW Sauber

BMW Sauber

BMW has been involved in Formula One in a number of capacities since the inauguration of the World Drivers' Championship in . The company entered occasional races in the 1950s and 1960s , before building the BMW M12/13 inline-four turbocharged engine in the 1980s...

, while Mark Webber

Mark Webber

Mark Alan Webber is an Australian Formula One driver.After some racing success in Australia, Webber moved to the United Kingdom in 1995 to further his motorsport career...

stayed on with the team. Despite having signed a contract to race for Williams, Jenson Button

Jenson Button

decided to stay with BAR

British American Racing

British American Racing was a Formula One constructor that competed in the sport from 1999 to 2005. BAR began by acquiring Tyrrell, and used Supertec engines for their first year...

for 2006 as it was to become a Honda works team. In September 2005 a deal was reached to allow Button to remain with BAR, with Williams receiving around £24m, some of it paid by Jenson himself, to cancel this contract.

Williams and Cosworth

Cosworth

Cosworth is a high performance engineering company founded in London in 1958, specialising in engines and electronics for automobile racing , mainstream automotive and defence industries...

entered a partnership agreement where Cosworth would supply engines, transmissions and associated electronics and software for the team. Major sponsors Hewlett-Packard

Hewlett-Packard

(HP) concluded sponsorship agreements one year before their official end of contract. The Williams team also switched to Bridgestone

Bridgestone

The is a multinational rubber conglomerate founded in 1931 by in the city of Kurume, Fukuoka, Japan. The name Bridgestone comes from a calque translation and transposition of ishibashi, meaning "stone bridge" in Japanese....

tyres.

The season started well, with both drivers scoring points in the opening race of the season, and Nico Rosberg setting the fastest lap at the Bahrain Grand Prix

2006 Bahrain Grand Prix

The 2006 Bahrain Grand Prix was the first round of the 2006 Formula One World Championship, held on 12 March 2006 at the Bahrain International Circuit, Bahrain.-Qualifying:...

. However, the rest of the season was very disappointing, with 20 retirements out of 36 starts for the two cars. The team failed to finish on the podium all season, the first time since Williams’ first season in 1977. The team eventually finished eighth in the constructors’ championship, with only 11 points.

Toyota (2007–2009)

Related Articles: Toyota & Toyota Racing

Following Williams' worst points tally since 1978

1978 Formula One season

, the Grove-based team announced that Japanese car manufacturer Toyota would be supplying the engines for the 2007 season

2007 Formula One season

The 2007 Formula One season was the 58th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 2007 FIA Formula One World Championship, which began on 18 March and ended on 21 October after seventeen events. The Drivers' Championship was won by Ferrari driver Kimi Räikkönen by one point at the...

. Along with Toyota supplying engines to the team, a number of other changes were announced for 2007: Alexander Wurz

Alexander Wurz

Alexander Wurz is an Austrian racing driver. He competed in Formula One from until , and is also a two-time winner of the Le Mans 24 Hours....

, who had been a test driver at Williams since 2006, became the team’s second driver to replace the outgoing Mark Webber; Japanese driver Kazuki Nakajima

Kazuki Nakajima

is a Formula One driver from Japan who drove for the Williams-Toyota team from to . Prior to that he had been their test driver, as well as a competitor in the GP2 Series for the DAMS team....

, son of Satoru

Satoru Nakajima

, replaced Wurz as a test driver alongside Karthikeyan. Sponsorship also saw a change in 2007, as it was announced that AT&T

AT&T

AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications corporation headquartered in Whitacre Tower, Dallas, Texas, United States. It is the largest provider of mobile telephony and fixed telephony in the United States, and is also a provider of broadband and subscription television services...

would become the title sponsors for the team from the upcoming season. AT&T were previously involved as minor sponsors with the Jaguar

Jaguar Racing

Jaguar Racing was a Formula One team that competed in the FIA Formula One World Championship from 2000 to 2004. It was formed from the purchase by Ford of Jackie Stewart's Stewart Grand Prix Formula One team in June 1999. Ford renamed the team Jaguar Racing as part of its global marketing...

and McLaren teams, but moved to Williams following McLaren’s announcement of a title sponsorship deal with Vodafone

Vodafone

Vodafone Group Plc is a global telecommunications company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the world's largest mobile telecommunications company measured by revenues and the world's second-largest measured by subscribers , with around 341 million proportionate subscribers as of...

, a competitor of AT&T. On 2 February, the new FW29 was presented to the media in the UK. Soon afterwards the team secured a sponsorship deal with Lenovo who built the team's new supercomputer.

Rosberg and Wurz gave Williams a more productive season in terms of points and in Canada

2007 Canadian Grand Prix

The 2007 Canadian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 10 June 2007, at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, Canada. It was the sixth race of the 2007 Formula One season...

the Austrian scored the team's first podium finish since Nick Heidfeld's second place finish at the 2005 European Grand Prix

2005 European Grand Prix

The 2005 European Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on May 29, 2005 at the Nürburgring.__FORCETOC__-Summary:The 2005 European Grand Prix was the seventh race of the 2005 Formula One season, and was the second of a series of 6 races held within 8 weeks...

. Over the course of the year Rosberg was consistently in the points, scoring 20 during the season, in comparison teammate Wurz who finished in the points three times. Following the announcement that Wurz would be retiring from the sport, Williams brought in their young test driver Nakajima to drive the second car for them in the final race in Brazil

2007 Brazilian Grand Prix

The 2007 Brazilian Grand Prix was the seventeenth and last race of the 2007 Formula One season. It was held from 19 to October 21 at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace in São Paulo. The Championship was decided in the race, which was won by Kimi Räikkönen...

. The Japanese driver finished in tenth despite starting from near the back of the grid, while Rosberg enjoyed his best race of the season, finishing in fourth. Williams finished fourth in the Constructors' Championship that year.

For the season, Williams confirmed Nico Rosberg and Kazuki Nakajima as their race drivers. Rosberg was confirmed as staying with Williams until the end of on 9 December 2007, ending speculation that he could take Fernando Alonso

Fernando Alonso

Fernando Alonso Díaz is a Spanish Formula One racing driver and a two-time World Champion, who is currently racing for Ferrari....

's vacated seat at McLaren. During the Winter testing sessions, the team ran six different liveries to celebrate their thirtieth year in the sport and their 500th Grand Prix.

The 2008 season was a mixture of success and disappointment for Williams. While Rosberg managed to obtain 2 podiums in Australia and Singapore, the team struggled at circuits with high speed corners. The fact that the team was one of the first to switch development to their 2009 car (where new regulations come in) also hindered their season, and Williams finished a disappointing 8th in the constructors championship. Rosberg has stated that unless the team is more competitive in the near future, he will look for drives elsewhere. Williams retained Rosberg and Nakajima for the 2009 season.

Frank Williams had admitted that he had regretted parting with BMW but stated that Toyota has tremendous ability to become a top engine supplier. Speculation had been surrounding Toyota's future on the Formula 1 grid. This was due to the fact that for a big budget team, Toyota had only managed 2nd place as their best result.

In December 2008 Williams confirmed their commitment to F1 following the Honda withdrawal announcement.

Ahead of the 2009 Brazilian Grand Prix Williams announced that it would be ending its three year partnership with Toyota and finding a new engine supplier for 2010.

Cosworth (2010–2011)

After the termination of their Toyota contract Williams announced that from the 2010 Formula One season

2010 Formula One season

The 2010 Formula One season was the 61st Formula One season of World Championship motor racing competition. Red Bull Racing won its maiden Constructors' Championship with a one-two finish in Brazil, while Red Bull Racing's Sebastian Vettel won the Drivers' Championship after winning the final race...

they were to enter into a "long-term partnership" with Cosworth

Cosworth

Cosworth is a high performance engineering company founded in London in 1958, specialising in engines and electronics for automobile racing , mainstream automotive and defence industries...

, and would be using an updated version of the CA V8 engine which powered their cars in 2006. Williams also announced a complete driver change for the 2010 season. Rubens Barrichello

Rubens Barrichello

joined from 2009 constructors champion Brawn GP

Brawn GP

Brawn GP Formula One Team, the trading name of Brawn GP Limited, was a Formula One motor racing team and constructor, created by a management buyout of Honda Racing F1 Team. It only competed in the 2009 Formula One World Championship, with drivers Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello. The team...

, whilst GP2 champion Nico Hülkenberg graduated from the test driver seat. Replacing Hülkenberg in the test seat was Finland's Valtteri Bottas

Valtteri Bottas

Valtteri Bottas is a Finnish racing driver. He currently resides in Oxford, United Kingdom.-Career:Bottas won both the 2008 Formula Renault Eurocup and the 2008 Formula Renault Northern European Cup...

, who finished third in the 2009 Formula Three Euroseries

2009 Formula Three Euroseries season

The 2009 Formula 3 Euro Series season was the seventh championship year of the Formula 3 Euro Series. The series consisted of ten double-header meetings beginning at Hockenheim on May 16 and ending at the same venue on October 25...

as well as winning the non-championship Masters of Formula 3

2009 Masters of Formula 3

The 2009 Tango Masters of Formula 3 was the nineteenth Masters of Formula 3 race held at Circuit Park Zandvoort on June 14, 2009. The race returned to Zandvoort after a two-year stay at Zolder. It was won by Masters debutant Valtteri Bottas, for ART Grand Prix.-Drivers and teams:-Odd numbers:-Even...

event at Zandvoort

Circuit Park Zandvoort

Circuit Park Zandvoort is a motorsport race track located in Burgemeester van Alphenstraat 108, 2041 KP in the dunes north of the town of Zandvoort, in the Netherlands, near the North Sea coast line.- History :...

.

Their new 2010 car, the FW32 was unveiled for the first time at a shakedown test at Silverstone

Silverstone Circuit

Silverstone Circuit is an English motor racing circuit next to the Northamptonshire villages of Silverstone and Whittlebury. The circuit straddles the Northamptonshire and Buckinghamshire border, with the current main circuit entry on the Buckinghamshire side...

. Its first official test was on 1 February at Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia. Hülkenberg took the team's first pole position in over five years, in variable conditions at the . Hülkenberg was dropped from the team ahead of the 2011 season

2011 Formula One season

The 2011 Formula One season was the 62nd FIA Formula One season. The original calendar consisted of twenty rounds, including the inaugural running of the Indian Grand Prix before the cancellation of the Bahrain Grand Prix. Pirelli returned to the sport as tyre supplier for all teams, taking over...

, and replaced by Venezuelan newcomer and reigning GP2 Series

2010 GP2 Series season

The 2010 GP2 Series season was the sixth GP2 Series season. The season began on 8 May at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmeló, Spain and ended on 14 November at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates after 20 races held at ten meetings....

champion Pastor Maldonado

Pastor Maldonado

Pastor Rafael Maldonado Motta is a Venezuelan Formula One driver. Before making his Formula One debut in 2011, he won the 2010 GP2 championship.-Formula Renault:...

. The combination of Rubens Barrichello and Maldonado meant that 2011 would be the first time since that Williams would start a season without a European driver in their line-up. At the second pre-season test in Jerez, Barrichello posted the fastest time of the week on the last day.

Return to Renault (2012–)

On 4 July 2011, Williams announced they would be reuniting with former engine supplier Renault who will supply the team's engines from 2012 onwards. On 1 December 2011, it was confirmed that Maldonado would be retained for the 2012 season, along with test driver Valterri Bottas.

Formula One results

Main article: Williams F1 Grand Prix results (results for Williams Grand Prix Engineering/Williams F1, 1978–2011)

See Frank Williams Racing Cars

Frank Williams Racing Cars

for that team’s results from 1969 to 1976.

Formula 2

Williams have developed the car for the revived Formula 2 championship, beginning in 2009. The design was originally created for a new, more powerful off-shoot of the Formula Palmer Audi series, however the car was re-purposed when Jonathan Palmer

Jonathan Palmer

Dr. Jonathan Charles Palmer is an entrepreneur and former racing driver from England. Educated at Brighton College, he won the 1981 British Formula Three Championship and the 1983 European Formula Two Championship. He participated in 87 Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on September 25, 1983...

's MotorSport Vision

MotorSport Vision

MotorSport Vision is one of the world's foremost motorsport organisations, and the leading operator of UK motor racing venues. MSV has a portfolio ranging from major two and four wheel championships to organising the PalmerSport corporate driving event....

successfully bid for the rights to run the new Formula 2 series.

Group B rallying

The Metro 6R4 rally car was developed by Williams in 1984 on commission from Rover. The rally car was a Rover Metro

Rover Metro

The Metro is a supermini car that was produced by the Austin Rover Group division of British Leyland and its successors. It was launched in 1980 as the Austin miniMetro. It was intended to complement the Mini, and was developed under the codename LC8....

with a completely new V6 engine

V6 engine

A V6 engine is a V engine with six cylinders mounted on the crankcase in two banks of three cylinders, usually set at either a right angle or an acute angle to each other, with all six pistons driving a common crankshaft...

(mid-engined) and four-wheel drive

Four-wheel drive

Four-wheel drive, 4WD, or 4×4 is a four-wheeled vehicle with a drivetrain that allows all four wheels to receive torque from the engine simultaneously...

, developed to the international Group B

Group B

Group B was a set of regulations introduced in 1982 for competition vehicles in sportscar racing and rallying regulated by the FIA. The Group B regulations fostered some of the quickest, most powerful and sophisticated rally cars ever built. However, a series of major accidents, some fatal, were...

rallying regulations. Williams developed the car in just six months.

British Touring Car Championship

Williams Touring Car Engineering were Renault

Renault

's official entry to the British Touring Car Championship

British Touring Car Championship

The British Touring Car Championship is a touring car racing series held each year in the United Kingdom. The Championship was established in 1958 as the British Saloon Car Championship and has run to various rules over the years – "production cars", then FIA Group 1 or 2 in the late 1960s...

between 1995 and 1999. The Renault Laguna

Renault Laguna

The Renault Laguna is a large family car produced by the French manufacturer Renault. The first Laguna was launched in 1993, the second generation was launched in 2000, and the third generation was made available for sale in October 2007....

based cars were produced at Williams' Didcot

Didcot

factory (the Formula One team having recently moved to new premises at Grove

Grove, Oxfordshire

Grove is a village and civil parish on Letcombe Brook about north of Wantage in the Vale of White Horse. It was part of Berkshire until the 1974 boundary changes transferred it to Oxfordshire.-Parish churches:...

). The touring car venture was very successful, Williams-Renault won the Manufacturers title in 1995

1995 British Touring Car Championship season

The 1995 Auto Trader RAC British Touring Car Championship was won by John Cleland in a Vauxhall Cavalier. The Independents' title was won by Matt Neal in his Team Dynamics Ford Mondeo with fourteen class wins.-Entry List:-Calendar & Winners:...

and 1997

1997 British Touring Car Championship season

The 1997 Auto Trader RAC British Touring Car Championship was won by Alain Menu of the Williams Renault Laguna Dealer Racing team, who drove a Renault Laguna. The runner up was Frank Biela of Audi Sport UK in an Audi A4 Quattro. Third place was Menu's teammate, Jason Plato...

and the BTCC drivers title with Swiss Alain Menu

Alain Menu

Alain Menu is a Swiss racing driver. He was one of the most successful touring car drivers of the 1990s, winning the prestigious British Touring Car Championship twice . He currently races for Chevrolet in the World Touring Car Championship.- BTCC :He is the son of a farmer...

in 1997.

Le Mans 24 Hours

Prior to their F1 partnership, Williams Motorsport built Le Mans Prototype

Le Mans Prototype

A Le Mans Prototype is a type of sports prototype race car most notably used in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, American Le Mans Series and Le Mans Series...

s for BMW

BMW

, known as the V12 LM

BMW V12 LM

The BMW V12 LM was a racing car built for sports car racing in 1998. The car was built using a combination of WilliamsF1 engineering and construction and a BMW powerplant...

and V12 LMR. The V12 LMR won the 24 Hours of Le Mans

24 Hours of Le Mans

The 24 Hours of Le Mans is the world's oldest sports car race in endurance racing, held annually since near the town of Le Mans, France. Commonly known as the Grand Prix of Endurance and Efficiency, race teams have to balance speed against the cars' ability to run for 24 hours without sustaining...

in 1999

1999 24 Hours of Le Mans

The 1999 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 67th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on June 12 and 13, 1999.-Pre-race:1999 saw another increase in manufacturers involvement. Although Porsche did not send a team to contest, Toyota retained their three updated GT-Ones, now moved to the LMGTP class due...

. The car was driven by Pierluigi Martini

Pierluigi Martini

Pierluigi Martini is an Italian former racing driver.He participated in 124 Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on September 9, 1984 substituting for Ayrton Senna at the Toleman team...

; Yannick Dalmas

Yannick Dalmas

Yannick Dalmas is a former racing driver from France. He participated in 49 Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on 18 October 1987, but qualified for only 24 of them. His best result in F1 was a 5th place at the 1987 Australian Grand Prix, but he was not eligible for World Championship points at...

and Joachim Winkelhock

Joachim Winkelhock

Joachim Winkelhock , is a German motor racing driver.The younger brother of the late Manfred Winkelhock, Winkelhock was born in Waiblingen, near Stuttgart...

, and operated by Schnitzer Motorsport

Schnitzer Motorsport

Schnitzer Motorsport is a motorsport team based in Freilassing near Munich, Germany. From the early days of its establishment, the team has operated an automobile racing squad for BMW, and has remarkable results in touring car and sports car racing scenes....

under the name of BMW Motorsport

BMW Motorsport

Renault Clio Williams

Williams's name and logo were used on the Renault Clio Williams. However, no input was provided by Williams into the development of the car.

Porsche AG 911 GT3R Hybrid

Through a subsidiary, Williams Hybrid Power, the company developed and supplied a flywheel based kinetic energy storage system which is in use on a Porsche 911 GT3 R car in various GT racing series. The car achieved its first victory on 28 May 2011 at the 4th round of the VLN Endurance Racing Championship held at the Nürburgring

Nürburgring

The Nürburgring is a motorsport complex around the village of Nürburg, Germany. It features a modern Grand Prix race track built in 1984, and a much longer old North loop track which was built in the 1920s around the village and medieval castle of Nürburg in the Eifel mountains. It is located about...

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.