Description
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by Stuart McIntyre
Paper size 17 inches x 23.5 inches (43cm x 60cm)
Williams F1 was founded in 1977by Frank Williams and Patrick Head, as Williams Grand Prix Engineering. In July 1979, Clay Regazzoni won the teams first Grand Prix at Silverstone and the following year, Alan Jones won 5 Grand Prix, winning the Drivers and Constructors Championship. During the 1980s, the teams reliability record helped them to achieve unchallenged and crushing victories in the Constructors Championships of 1980, 1981, 1986 and 1987. In 1990, Nigel Mansell rejoined the team and in 1992, he became the first driver to win 9 races in one season, achieving 14 pole positions and securing both the Drivers World Championship and the Constructors Title for Williams F1 and Renault. In 1993 Alain Prost took up where Mansell had left off and won their second and consecutive Drivers and Constructors Championship double, driving the FW15. Tragically, in the following year, Ayrton Senna was killed at Imola in only his thrid Grand Prix for Williams. Damon Hill the rose in stature and saved a desperately sad year by challenging Michael Schumacher for the Drivers Championship. However, it was 1996 before Damon Hill won the Drivers Championship, becoming the first second generation driver to achieve the title. In 1997, the Championship belonged to Jacques Villeneuve and the Williams-Renault team. In 2000, Williams teamed up with the might of BMW and in 2001 they were back to winning ways with Ralf Schumacher and Juan Pablo Montoya achieving four Grand Prix victories.
