Current Williams

Williams Grand Prix Engineering

FIA Entry: AT&T Williams
Car 11: Rubens Barrichello
Car 12: Pastor Maldonado
Engine: Cosworth V8
Team Principal: Frank Williams
Director of Engineering: Patrick Head
Technical Director: Sam Michael
Race Engineer Car 11: Tony Ross
Race Engineer Car 12: Tom McCullough

Stats as of end 2010

First Entered 1977
Races Entered 539
Race Wins 113
Pole Positions 126
Fastest Laps 130
Driver World Championships 7
Constructor World Championships 9

Team History

The Early Years

Like many team owners and principals Frank Williams started life as a driver and mechanic. Realising his ability as a driver wouldn't allow him to reach the levels he hoped Williams set up Frank Williams Racing Cars and in 1969 entered a Brabham chassis for Piers Courage. Through to 1976 Williams entered customer cars from other manufacturers before settings up Williams Grand Prix Engineering in 1977 with Patrick Head.

Williams Grand Prix Engineering

In 1977 Williams GPE entered a March 761 for Patrick Neve. In 1978 Patrick Head designed his first Williams car, the FW06, driven by Australian Alan Jones The car scored it's first points at the South African Grand Prix and Jones took Williams first podium at Long Beach, finishing 2nd behind Carlos Reutemann in a Ferrari.

In 1979 the FW07 chassis debuted and Williams had grown into a 2 car team with Clay Regazzoni joining Alan Jones. Regazzoni scored Williams first Grand Prix victory at Silverstone and Jones took another 4 victories that season. Continuing with the FW07(in A and B spec) in 1980 Jones, now partnered by Carlos Reutemann, won 6 races (5 for Jones and 1 for Reutemann) with Jones winning the drivers title and Williams the Constructors Championship.

With the FW07 in C & D spec Williams won 4 more races and again took the Constructors Championship in 1981 but missed out on the Drivers Title. Continuing with Cosworth power in 1982 Williams moved onto the FW08, a car originally designed as 6 wheeler, and Keke Rosberg joined Carlos Reutemann. Reutemann retired 2 races into the season and Mario Andretti stood in for a single race before Derek Daly permanently replaced Reutemann. Rosberg only managed a single win at the Swiss Grand Prix 1982 but it was enough for him to win the Drivers Championship.

Having driven for Frank Williams back in 1974 and 1975 Jacques Laffite partnered Keke Rosberg in 1983. Rosberg won the Monaco Grand Prix with Cosworth power and by the end of the season Williams had moved to Honda turbo power and the FW09 chassis. 1984 continued the pattern of 1 win per season for Rosberg and the Williams team with Keke taking first place in Dallas.

The Honda Era

Nigel Mansell joined Williams in 1985 and the team, still with Honda turbo engines, won 4 Grand Prix. Piquet replaced Rosberg for 1986 and between them Mansell and Piquet won 9 of the 16 races and Williams the Constructors Championship. 1987 saw another 9 victories for the team and another victory in the Constructors Championship as well as Piquet winning the Drivers Title

The departure of Honda as engine supplier and Piquet as a driver in 1989 saw Williams move temporarily to Judd engines and Mansell, now partnered by Riccardo Patrese, had a very lean season with their highest finish only 4th.

Renault Power

Williams secured Renault V10 power for 1989 and the next 9 season proved to be Williams most successful. They won 63 Grands Prix, 5 Constructors Championship (1992, 93, 94, 96 & 97) and 4 Drivers Titles (Mansell 92, Prost 93, Hill 96 and Villeneuve 97). Other winners for Williams in this period of dominance included Riccardo Patrese, Thierry Boutsen, Heinz Harald Frentzen and David Coulthard. This period was also touched by tragedy when Ayrton Senna lost his life in a Williams car at the San Marino Grand Prix at Imola in 1994

The withdrawal of Renault from F1 in 1998 moved Williams into another barren spell as the cars were powered by ageing Renault engines produced by Mecachrome (98) and Supetec (99).

BMW Williams

Williams changed to BMW V10 engines in 2000 and returned to the winners circle in 2001 with Ralf Schumacher and Juan Pablo Montoya at the wheel. The partnership with BMW continued until 2006 with Williams winning 10 Grands Prix and were runners up in the Constructors Championship in 2002 and 2003. Ralph Schumacher drove for Williams for 6 season and was partnered by Alex Zanardi, Jenson Button (debuting in F1 in 2000) and Montoya with Mark Gene and Antonio Pizzonia making occasional appearances as stand in drivers. BMW's final season with Williams saw Mark Webber and Nick Heidfeld taking podiums but able to not challenge for wins.

Toyota Customer

A season of Cosworth power in 2006, with Mark Webber joined by F1 new boy Nico Rosberg, proved very unsuccessful and in 2007 Williams became customers of Toyota. As one of the few truly independent teams still competing in F1 Williams struggled to compete with the factory supported teams and were probably best categorised as "the best of the rest". Webber left at the end of 2007 and Rosberg, initially partnered by Alex Wurz and then by Toyota "works" driver Kazuki Nakajima, managed a highest finish of 2nd in Singapore 2008 with Williams finishing 4th, 8th and 7th in the Constructors Championship whilst using Toyota power.

In 2009 Williams sold a minority share in the company to an Austrian investment company led by Toto Wolff.

Williams Cosworth

In 2010 Williams returned to Cosworth engines and signed up Rubens Barrichello and Nico Hulkenberg to drive for them. Hulkenberg took a surprising pole in changeable weather conditions in Brazil to give Williams their first such grid position since Nick Heidfeld in 2005. Although regular points finishers Williams weren't challenging for wins and finished the season 6th in Constructors Championship.

2011 sees Rubens Barrichello retain his seat at Williams with GP2 Champion Pastor Maldonado alongside him. They will continue with Cosworth engine power.

 

[Il_leone]

Not as bad as travelling on Southern Rail currently

 

[F1Brits_90]

I completely understand why Williams want Lowe. But I dont get it the other way around because why would Paddy Lowe want to go to Williams who no disrespect in hindsight but this era of f1 got very fortunate with an amazing engine, as other teams like red bull & & Ferrari got closer on aero. Williams went backwards

But also this surely strengthens the rumours of Bottas > Mercedes & Weirlein > Williams

 

[cider_and_toast]

I think the elephant in the room is why would Lowe want to leave Mercedes?

Is this something that's been in the pipeline for a while or is it a more recent decision?

For example it was Lowe's radio call telling Hamilton to speed up and last week, after all of the talk about punishments for failing to follow team orders, out of the blue Toto says we were wrong to ask Hamilton to do it. A coincidence?

 

[Il_leone]

Well Paddy Lowe cost a fraction of Bottas' contract and he always wanted to be a team principal but it is not clear if the way Mercedes work suits him

I don't know how Williams thinking getting Paddy and losing Bottas is a fair exchange given they will have two drivers with little experience potentially (and I see Wehrlein causing anxiety and aggravation especially if Stroll gets the better of him)

 

[cider_and_toast]

Its still all hypothetical at the moment. FB posted in another thread that Lowe could actually be off to Ferrari.

Let's not be too hasty.

 

[The Pits]

At the end of the day, a good car is important, and can help bring good drivers. You only have to look at McLaren this season to see that if the car is not good, no one can win in it.

If Lowe is on thd way to Williams, good move for Williams, and i dont think Lowe would take it if he did not have a good reason!!

 

[Greenlantern101]

He may just want a challenge. A bit like when Adrian went to red bull.

 

[F1Brits_90]

This possibly sounds ridiculous. But were all talking part exchange with weirlein. Is The part exchange with paddy lowe with symonds retiring

 

[Il_leone]

F1Brits_90 Sounds like Williams don't really want Wehrlein

 

[RasputinLives]

It sounds like no one wants Wherlein at the moment.

 

[gethinceri]

 

[FB]

Ah crap, I've just seen a comment that Williams are trying to get Massa stay on for another year if Bottas goes to Merc

 

[cider_and_toast]

According to Radio 5 on my way home from work today Williams are still playing hardball so Bottas is currently going nowhere and Mercedes say they don't expect to reveal their new driver until the new year.

 

[Il_leone]

Mercedes have confirmed that they want name a replacement until 3rd January at the earliest

Williams are entitled to play hardball but the suggestion that Mercedes could offer free engines and Wehrlein does not seem to suit Williams nor does the other suggestion which is to offer Di Resta

The more I am convinced that both teams really need Button as a stop gap. Getting Massa back has been dispelled

 

[RasputinLives]

Offering Di Resta? is that fact? is he even a Merc driver anymore?

 

[Il_leone]

RasputinLives Yes because he was driving for Mercedes in DTM and he is Williams development driver last season gone

Nico Rosberg: No Mercedes replacement for retired world champion until new year

Mercedes will not announce Nico Rosberg's replacement until 2017


It is an option but not likely because he has been out of F1 too long

I am aghast that they want to recall Massa given his performances did seriously drop against Bottas

 

[Il_leone]

Williams open talks with Felipe Massa as potential Valtteri Bottas replacement

In SKY's F1 journalist special Mark Hughes also suggests Paul Di Resta .but they cite that Wehrlein and Stroll as a partnership is a great risk

 

[RasputinLives]

RasputinLives Yes because he was driving for Mercedes in DTM and he is Williams development driver last season gone

But he's not anymore is he? So how can Merc offer him as a swap for Bottas? He's not contracted to them.

 

[cider_and_toast]

According to Radio 5 this morning. Williams are now saying Bottas can go if they can find a suitably experienced driver as a replacement.

That rules out a young driver or rookie then.

 

[rufus_mcdufus]

The 'experienced' choice seems to be either Button or Massa doesn't it? I can really only imagine Jenson driving again if the temptation is of a top-class car. Can't really see him coming out of retirement and going to Williams. Unless there's a driver in another team who can be lured.
Also I'd have though Mercedes would have tested the water and approached Jenson already so if he categorically said 'no' then he's not going to say 'yes' to Williams.