Legendary F1 team boss Sir Frank Williams dies, aged 79 | Hacker News Reader

Legendary F1 team boss Sir Frank Williams dies, aged 79

formula1.com

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Frank was simply a man with a dream and he achieved it. 9 constructors' championships, 7 drivers' championships: Jones, Rosberg, Piquet, Mansell, Prost, Hill and Villeneuve.

The last decade or so of Williams has been very hard for the team, but I'm glad he saw the beginning of a return to form with a decent amount of points this season - and that podium at Spa.

I never met him, but I know some who did and they always had nothing but praise for the man. He was loved by all, and was very, very smart. His relationship with his drivers, even after leaving the position of Team Principal, was second-to-none. Williams was his family, and I'm very glad Capito/Dorilton kept the name after purchasing - it's more than just a name.

This world is thrown around a lot, but I think it's fitting here: he was a legend of the motorsport world, and a legend of the engineering world. His reputation and status in the paddock cannot be overstated. Rest in peace, Sir Frank.

I think the days of a team like Williams thriving in F1 are over, unfortunately. Maybe I'm being too cynical but I don't think cost-caps can fight entropy like that.

A moment that sticks in my brain is Lewis Hamilton driving Sir Frank Williams around the Silverstone circuit.

https://youtu.be/kSoQtwbpcGU

Sir Frank Williams - His Incredible Formula 1 Legacy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfmfh4B84Ok

Thanks for sharing that video, I'd never seen it before...

That is a particularly good memory.

I highly recommend Sir Frank's late wife Ginny's book "Williams: A Different Kind of Life". It details Frank's struggles in his early racing days (too broke to have a telephone at home) and his struggles later on after his horrific car accident. To say Frank was a fighter who never gave up is an understatement, and for those younger F1 fans who never saw the Williams team when they ran up front, I can tell you they were, more than one time, the team to beat. RIP Sir Frank Williams - they don't make them like you anymore.

SFW was truly dedicated to motor sports. There is a nice documentary ‘Williams’ if you’re interested in f1.

Killing Senna ruined them. Hearing Frank - as an old and almost broken looking man - admit that during an interview (the last one I've seen) made me respect the guy a bit more. He looked like he felt guilty. They were guilty.

Rest in peace, old man.

Not sure if that's the right way to look at it. Formula One, back then, was much less afe than today. They pushed the limits, technical, and Senna pushed them as a driver. Both knew what they gor thselves into. It was a tragic accident, not more and not less.

Senna died in 1994, and Williams won their last championship in 1997.

The evidence on exactly what caused the Senna crash is equivocal. There is a theory that the crash was caused (or exacerbated) by failure of the steering column. However, there is no evidence that conclusively rules out the simplest explanation (driver error).

That's what I said!

(CEO Boeing Aircraft)

You do realize that Ayrton's nephew drove for Williams?

https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-motor-racing-williams-sen...

I love photos of the early days of Frank Williams, such as this one tinkering with the brake assembly in velvet flared trousers and a shirt: https://cdn.24htech.asia/link/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/290... What a different time.

I cleary remember staying up late to see Nigel Mansell claim the championship in the Australian(?) GP (I live in the UK) and being devasted when his wheel blew in the last few laps.

Quite a history - feels a bit like those photos of the Queen meeting presidents all the way through from Truman to Biden.

One of the people I admired immensely in F1. He truly went after his dreams and achieved them. His wife get a lot less credit than she deserves because she also had a lot to do with his success. Rest in peace, legend!

Sad to read this, but at least he saw his team have some success this season.

RIP, Sir Williams.

Bob Bondurant died a short while ago. Now Frank. 2021 sucks.

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