(Williams Grand Prix Engineering)
Statement on behalf of the family of Frank Williams:
It is with great sadness that on behalf of the Williams family, the team can confirm the death of Sir Frank Williams CBE, Founder and Former Team Principal of Williams Racing, at the age of 79. After being admitted into hospital on Friday, Sir Frank passed away peacefully this morning surrounded by his family. Today we pay tribute to our much loved and inspirational figurehead. Frank will be sorely missed. We request that all friends and colleagues respect the Williams family’s wishes for privacy at this time. For those wishing to pay tribute, we ask that donations are made in place of gifts to the Spinal Injuries Association, alternatively we would welcome flowers to be placed at the entrance of the team’s headquarters in Grove, Oxfordshire. Details of the memorial service will follow in due course.
Williams first entered a car in F1 in 1969 under Frank Williams Racing Cars, but it was the creation of Williams Grand Prix Engineering in 1977 that would lead to numerous victories and championships. The first of those came in 1980 with Alan Jones, and to date Williams has won seven drivers’ championships and nine constructors’ titles, with the latest coming in 1997. In 1986, Sir Frank was involved in a serious car accident that rendered him a tetraplegic and left him in a wheelchair, but he continued to run the Formula 1 operation — making it the second-most successful team in terms of constructors’ titles behind Ferrari and fourth on the all-time winners list. In recent years, Sir Frank had been less prominent at races due to his health, as his daughter Claire Williams oversaw a number of matters from the role of deputy team principal before the team was sold to Dorilton Capital in 2020. Click here to watch a video from Williams Racing. (Thank you to Chris Medland/RACER)
Statement on behalf of the family of Frank Williams:
It is with great sadness that on behalf of the Williams family, the team can confirm the death of Sir Frank Williams CBE, Founder and Former Team Principal of Williams Racing, at the age of 79. After being admitted into hospital on Friday, Sir Frank passed away peacefully this morning surrounded by his family. Today we pay tribute to our much loved and inspirational figurehead. Frank will be sorely missed. We request that all friends and colleagues respect the Williams family’s wishes for privacy at this time. For those wishing to pay tribute, we ask that donations are made in place of gifts to the Spinal Injuries Association, alternatively we would welcome flowers to be placed at the entrance of the team’s headquarters in Grove, Oxfordshire. Details of the memorial service will follow in due course.
Williams first entered a car in F1 in 1969 under Frank Williams Racing Cars, but it was the creation of Williams Grand Prix Engineering in 1977 that would lead to numerous victories and championships. The first of those came in 1980 with Alan Jones, and to date Williams has won seven drivers’ championships and nine constructors’ titles, with the latest coming in 1997. In 1986, Sir Frank was involved in a serious car accident that rendered him a tetraplegic and left him in a wheelchair, but he continued to run the Formula 1 operation — making it the second-most successful team in terms of constructors’ titles behind Ferrari and fourth on the all-time winners list. In recent years, Sir Frank had been less prominent at races due to his health, as his daughter Claire Williams oversaw a number of matters from the role of deputy team principal before the team was sold to Dorilton Capital in 2020. Click here to watch a video from Williams Racing. (Thank you to Chris Medland/RACER)
(Getty Images/F1)
Lewis Hamilton (No. 44 Mercedes-AMG Petronas) closed the points gap to title rival Max Verstappen (No. 33 Red Bull Racing Honda) following a dominant victory in the inaugural Qatar Grand Prix at the Losail International Circuit. After a clinical start from pole position, Hamilton was able to control the pace at the front of the field with an indomitable lights-to-flag win, his second in a row after Brazil. But while Hamilton was impressive, so too was Verstappen, who was dropped from P2 to seventh on the grid for failing to respect double waved yellow flags in qualifying. Verstappen shrugged off the disappointment, though, jumping to P4 at the start before quickly making his way up to second, before following Hamilton home to limit the damage to his title lead, which now stands at eight points as Verstappen claimed the fastest lap bonus point. Meanwhile, there was joy down at Alpine as Fernando Alonso (No. 14 Alpine Renault F1 Team) returned to the podium for the first time since the 2014 Hungarian Grand Prix, the Spaniard having executed an aggressive drive to survive late-race pressure from Sergio Perez (No. 11 Red Bull Racing Honda) to take third. Watch the race highlights here. (Thank you to F1 Media) (11/24)
Lewis Hamilton (No. 44 Mercedes-AMG Petronas) closed the points gap to title rival Max Verstappen (No. 33 Red Bull Racing Honda) following a dominant victory in the inaugural Qatar Grand Prix at the Losail International Circuit. After a clinical start from pole position, Hamilton was able to control the pace at the front of the field with an indomitable lights-to-flag win, his second in a row after Brazil. But while Hamilton was impressive, so too was Verstappen, who was dropped from P2 to seventh on the grid for failing to respect double waved yellow flags in qualifying. Verstappen shrugged off the disappointment, though, jumping to P4 at the start before quickly making his way up to second, before following Hamilton home to limit the damage to his title lead, which now stands at eight points as Verstappen claimed the fastest lap bonus point. Meanwhile, there was joy down at Alpine as Fernando Alonso (No. 14 Alpine Renault F1 Team) returned to the podium for the first time since the 2014 Hungarian Grand Prix, the Spaniard having executed an aggressive drive to survive late-race pressure from Sergio Perez (No. 11 Red Bull Racing Honda) to take third. Watch the race highlights here. (Thank you to F1 Media) (11/24)