|
 |
| Base: |
Grove, UK |
|
| Drivers: |
N Rosberg |
|
K Nakajima |
|
| Test Drivers: |
N Hulkenberg |
|
N Karthikeyan |
| Chassis: |
FW30 |
| Engine: |
Toyota |
| Tyres: |
Bridgestone Potenza |
| First Season: |
1975 |
| World Championships: |
9 |
| Total Wins |
113 |
| Pole Positions: |
125 |
| Fastest Laps: |
129 |
|
History
Just as this once-mighty, and still hugely popular, team seemed to be on an irreversible decline, Williams fought back in style in 2007.
Sir Frank Williams, Patrick Head and their colleagues had been disgusted with eighth place in the 2006 standings and were determined to “regain respectability” last year.
The new car was both faster and – crucially – much more reliable, allowing Williams to advance to fourth in the constructors' table.
With momentum on its side, and highly-rated lead driver Nico Rosberg remaining loyal even when a McLaren seat appeared to be on offer, Williams is set to continue its upward trend in 2008.
Rosberg will be backed by Toyota protégé Kazuki Nakajima, an exciting but erratic young talent.
Williams' pure racing spirit is second to none, and as one of the last truly independent constructors on the grid, it has proved more than capable of taking the fight to the wealthy manufacturer squads.
The team's dominant heyday may seem a long time ago, but it still has a big part to play in F1's future.
F1 track record
Frank Williams knows all about life at the back of the grid, having endured years of cash-strapped uncompetitiveness in the 1970s.
It was only when he joined forces with rising design ace Head in 1977 that Williams started to make waves.
The team mastered the ground effect aerodynamics of the period and won its first race at Silverstone in 1979, before grabbing the 1980 and 1982 titles with Alan Jones and Keke Rosberg.
Williams linked with Honda as turbocharged engines took precedence, and the partnership yielded constructors' titles in 1986 and 1987 and a drivers' championship for Nelson Piquet in the latter of those years.
The Williams story took a grim twist during this period, as Frank Williams was paralysed from the neck down in a car crash early in 1986.
Despite his disability, he returned to the helm as soon as possible and has remained in charge – and indefatigable – ever since.
Honda jumped ship for McLaren in 1988, but the following year Williams began a new relationship with Renault that would lead to a string of titles in the 1990s.
Nigel Mansell won the drivers' crown in 1992 with the revolutionary Adrian Newey-designed FW14B, before Alain Prost delivered a repeat title the following year.
Then came the tragedy of Ayrton Senna's fatal accident at Imola in 1994, just three races into his Williams career.
The way that Williams bounced back from this nightmare was typical of the team's resilience.
Damon Hill took the fight to Michael Schumacher and only a controversial collision at Adelaide denied him the 1994 title.
Williams would secure another two championships (with Hill in 1996 and Jacques Villeneuve in '97) before its run of success came to an abrupt end, as Renault quit F1 and Newey defected to McLaren.
Two quiet years with customer engines preceded an uneasy partnership with BMW that delivered race victories, but never a season-long title challenge.
The partnership dissolved amid mutual finger-pointing, and Williams switched to Cosworth for 2006.
The early races were full of promise, but wretched reliability led to several podium chances being squandered, and the team rapidly fell back, before rebounding with customer Toyota power last year.
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