Sir Frank Williams, the four acts of an F1 hero

« To be or not to be ", asked Hamlet from the pen of William Shakespeare. For Frank Williams, the question has not arisen for a long time. At Silverstone, it's all England F1 who celebrated his hero. Strange jubilation for a team boss who hasn't won for ages, but who the British teams are claiming more than ever. The plebiscite is not so surprising, as the United Kingdom likes to honor its heroes, those who make, or have made, the glory of this ancient empire which no longer reigns over much, except perhaps motorsport. . Simple heroes close to the people like Nigel Mansell who remains, and this is no coincidence, more than ever the archetype of the Williams driver...

His difficult beginnings

It was in 1966 that Frank Williams, aware of his limitations as a driver, created Williams Racing Cars Ltd. and starts preparing cars for his friend Pier's Courage, rich heir to a family of brewers. The team made its debut in 1967 in F3 before committing to F2 the next year. For the 1969 season, Williams bought a Brabham and launched into F1 with encouraging first results which led to him being approached by Alessandro de Tomaso to enter a car designed by Dallara.

The disaster strikes 1970 Dutch Grand Prix, where Courage is killed. Although very affected by the death of his friend, Williams nonetheless continued his adventure in F1. Having regained his independence following his separation from De Tomaso, he hired private Marches sponsored by Polytoys for the 1971 and 1972 seasons and which he entrusted to the Frenchman Henri Pescarolo and the Brazilian hopeful Carlos Pace, without obtaining convincing results.

Williams then decided to become a manufacturer in his own right. After a brief appearance in 1972 during the British Grand Prix in the hands of Pescarolo, the FX3 made its real competition debut in 1973. Even if this car does not bear its name (it was entered in 1972 under the name Polytoys then in 1973 under the name Iso-Marlboro), we can consider that it is the first Williams F1 in history. In 1975, dropped by Iso, Frank Williams enters the championship under his own name. Penniless, he thinks he has found the patron he is so lacking when the rich Austrian-Canadian industrialist Walter Wolf offers to come to the team's aid.

His countless successes

Pushed out of the team he founded, Frank Williams was quick to react. Thanks to the money from the resale of Williams Racing to Walter Wolf, In 1977, he founded a new team called Williams Engineering.. For the occasion, he joins forces with the young engineer Patrick Head, which he hired in 1975. Frank became a full-fledged manufacturer again from the 1978 season and the FW06.

We had to wait until 1979 and the arrival of the FW07 to see the Williams finally reach the top of the hierarchy. After a first victory for Clay Regazzoni at Silverstone on July 14, Alan Jones continued his victories. For the first title, you will have to wait one more year. Between 1980 and 1997, the team dominated the world championship like no other had achieved by granting itself 9 Manufacturers’ titles and 7 Drivers’ titles with Alan Jones, Keke Rosberg, Nelson Piquet, Nigel Mansell, Alain Prost, Damon Hill and Jacques Villeneuve.

Between 2002 and 2004, it experienced a new period of success with BMW which no title comes to sanction. When the German firm acquired Sauber, Williams regained the status of an independent team that it has never left since with a single and final victory – its 114th – to date. in 2012, with Pastor Maldonado in Spain.

Its immense dramas

In 50 years, Sir Frank will have experienced many joys but also tragedies which have deeply marked him. In 1970, his driver and friend, Piers Courage, died at the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort. “He was a wonderful personality, he recalls. He had exquisite manners. His passing was a major loss. At the funeral, all but one of the pilots were present, and everyone was crying. "

On March 8, 1986, it was to the depths of his flesh that Frank was affected, following a car accident on the road leading to the Paul-Ricard circuit, which left him quadriplegic. Since then, he has been using a wheelchair. “His accident was dramatic and changed our lives, explains his eldest son Jonathan, who manages Williams Heritage. Our family had to adapt, mom had to adapt to rebuild dad and his environment. She was exceptional. Dad's determination to return to F1 never faded. He is a racer, only the next race counts. His competitive nature is stronger than ever. What he managed to build was a tremendous legacy for his family and for the fans. »

Tragedy strikes again May 1, 1994, in Imola, where Ayrton Senna died behind the wheel of one of his cars. “A very talented pilot, deeply determined, regrets Sir Frank, 25 years later by this tragedy which pursued and haunted him for a long time. He is at the origin of this new breed of very focused and developed pilots that we have today. » 

Another hard blow on March 8, 2013 when he suffered the pain of losing his wife, Lady Virginia, to cancer at the age of 66. Better known under the nickname “Ginny,” she was an integral part of the history and success of the team. Without her, Frank Williams would never have overcome his disability.

His unwavering faith

Today, although he no longer runs his team on a daily basis, Sir Frank continues to work from his office in Grove. “Dad has the most extraordinary resilience and tenacity which I think comes from his passion, notes his daughter Claire who holds the position of Deputy Team Principal. He simply loves F1, it's his life. When he came out of boarding school, which was a pretty sad and lonely time, Formula 1 gave him a community. After his accident, she was his reason for living, as much as his family, and that's why he speaks of her as his oxygen. He lives and breathes for her, even today. » 

With his old accomplice Patrick Head, back in business as a consultant, he launched a new challenge as a final thumbs-up to this existence which has given him as much as it has taken from him: putting the team back on the F1 chessboard. At Silverstone, as a birthday present for his first world championship victory, he received American telephone company Rokit a contract extension for two additional years, until the end of 2023.

“50 years of F1, he blurted out in confusion last weekend. I can't say I loved every minute because some moments were very difficult – I lost my wife, I lost pilots – but F1 was very good for me despite everything. I've always been a speed freak. I drove too, pretending I was a pilot. The arrival of Patrick Head was decisive, he was the key to making the company what it is. We have had a lot of success but there is this well-known expression in F1: “Your true level is that of your last race! »We will continue to fight! I have no intention of going anywhere else! »

The final word, let's leave it to Jaime, his second son, manager of a small record store in London. “Being the oldest main team in F1 today has no importance in his eyes, explains the only one of the siblings to have distanced himself from motorsport. He is not a man to dwell on his successes. He thinks about what comes next, the next Grand Prix. His strength is his perseverance. The things he achieved in the face of adversity are extraordinary. You have to have an extraordinary personality to be able to continue moving forward despite what you have endured over the years. He continues to move forward because he is made that way. Nothing ever stopped him! » So it's not about to stop...