Williams, the end of an era.
Anyone who is a motorsport or Formula 1 fan will be familiar with the name Williams. The Williams name has been associated with top-level motorsport since the 1960s and this will hopefully remain the case for years to come.
After running teams on the sport’s nursery slopes, team patron Frank Williams founded Frank Williams Racing Cars in 1966 and entered F1 in 1969 with his friend Piers Courage behind the wheel. Frank quickly earned a reputation as one of the industry's more determined individuals and, after selling his controlling interest in his original team, he established Williams Grand Prix Engineering with British engineer Patrick Head in 1977. . They built their first car, the FW06, the following year and the team immediately went from strength-to-strength.
Williams has since won 16 FIA Formula One World Championship titles, nine for constructors and seven for drivers, and is the third most successful teams of all time on the grid.
Recently, the Williams team was been sold to an American private investment firm called Dorilton Capital in a deal which allows one of Formula 1’s most famous names to remain in the sport. In a statement; the team said the sale “received the unanimous support of the board of Williams, including Sir Frank, who stated that the transaction delivers the best outcome for the company’s shareholders and secures the long-term success of the Williams Formula 1 team.” Thankfully, the Williams name will be preserved going forward.
Sadly, after a difficult few years, the Williams family have decided that they will be stepping down as principles of the racing team. Claire Williams - who was deputy team principle from 2013-2020 -has often come under scrutiny for being the reason Williams F1 team have fallen off track. Claire has been responsible for the day to day running and long-term development of the race team whilst also representing the Williams family’s majority and controlling shareholding of the Williams Group of companies on the Board. Claire has provided the world of F1 with a drive for seeing a more diverse and equal gender opportunities. She has influenced many young women to follow their dreams of working in the sport as well as being a fantastic role model. Her most recent involvement in the successful campaigning for a more sustainable Formula One has been great to see. The new Concorde Agreement, now signed by all teams, maps out a more level playing field for the sport with more equitable financial and technical regulations moving forwards that the team will be able to capitalise upon from 2021 and beyond.
Claire’s Statement:
“It is with a heavy heart that I am stepping away from my role with the team. I had hoped to continue my tenure long into the future and to preserve the Williams family’s legacy into the next generation. However, our need to find inward investment earlier this year due to a number of factors, many of which were outside of our control, resulted in the sale of the team to Dorilton Capital. My family has always put our racing team and our people first and this was absolutely the right decision. I know in them we have found the right people to take Williams back to the front of the grid while also preserving the Williams legacy.
“I have taken the decision to step away from the team in order to allow Dorilton a fresh start as the new owners. It has not been an easy decision but it’s one I believe to be right for all involved. I have been enormously privileged to have grown up in this team and in the wonderful world that is Formula One. I have loved every minute and will be forever grateful for the opportunities it has given me. But it’s also an incredibly challenging sport and I now want to see what else the world holds for me. Most importantly, I want to spend time with my family.
“I would like to thank Dorilton for their support and for understanding my decision. I would also like to thank our fans who have stuck by us through thick and thin. Our people at Williams have always been family, they have kept me motivated during the difficult times and it is them who I will miss the most. It is my genuine hope that the process we’ve gone through brings them the success they deserve. And finally, I would like to thank my Dad for everything he has given to the team, the sport and our family.”
Obviously, for many F1 fans this is sad news, however, we hope that this change in direction for the Williams F1 team wll help them reach their winning ways once more. Time will tell.
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Sach & Soph