|
PROFILE
Frank
Williams first started in F1 in 1969, running cars for
several different drivers. It wasn't until 1977, when
he and Patrick Head joined forces, that the Williams
Grand Prix team that we know today came into being.
Since then, Williams has become one of the most successful
teams in F1.
In fact, the team won their first race 1979, only one
year after 1978 debut. They went on to win both drivers'
and constructors' championships in 1980 with Alan Jones,
who notched up 5 wins for the team.
In the mid-eighties, the time of the turbos, Williams
joined up with Honda, and dominated the sport for many
years. Nigel Mansell narrowly missed out on the championship
to Alain Prost in 1986. Judd engines in 1988 brought
the team's progression to a grinding halt.
Williams turned to Renault power in 1989, and when Nigel
Mansell returned from Ferrari in 1991, the perfect combination
was in place. Mansell finally took the drivers' championship
in 1992, winning 9 races. When Nigel Mansell left the
sport in 1993, Alain Prost replaced him, and won the
double again.
1994 was a sad year for Williams, and, indeed, the whole
of F1. At Imola, only 3 races into the season, new signing
Ayrton Senna was tragically killed during the race whilst
battling Michael Schumacher for the lead. The manslaughter
trial against Williams, Head and Adrian Newey, the car's
designer, continued for the rest of the '90's. Damon
Hill struggled on, and salvaged the constructors' championship.
1995 saw Williams loose out on both titles to Benetton,
with Michael Schumacher taking his second consecutive
world crown. Damon Hill took the championship in style
in 1996, and Jacques Villeneuve repeated this acheivement
in '97. These were the last races the team would win,
however, as Renault pulled out of F1 at the end of the
1997 season. Supertec engines powered the team for the
next two years, while BMW engines were being developed
for the German company's entry into the sport in 2000.
The 2000 season saw results far greater than expected.
Risky signing Jenson Button, who had had very little
previous racing experience, proved to be one of the
driver's of the year, recording 12 points overall, and
helping the team on to 3rd place in the constructors'
championship. The young Brit, who became the youngest
points scorer in F1 at Interlagos, Brazil, only the
second race of the season, signed a 5 year contract
with the Grove based team, but was lent out to Benetton
for the next two years.
Williams have decided to call in their option on Columbian
ex-CART champion Juan Pablo Montoya for 2006, who many
believe will flounder, as ex-CART champion Alex Zanardi
did in 1999. Others believe he will be the next Michael
Schumacher - only time will tell. Pre-season testing,
however, as shown that he is on a level similar to that
of Ralf Schumacher, so it appears that he is adapting
well to the new environment.
WEB
SITE
http://www.bmw.williamsf1.com/
|
