Williams, the 75-year-old, who died Monday, was arguably the greatest constructor of Formula One, winning 21 race victories, 55 podium appearances and 91 points in 23 years with the Red Bull Racing and Williams team.
Sir Frank, as he was universally known in the paddock, will be best remembered for winning nine of his 21 races in his first season, and also won nine in 1992, 10 in 1995 and 13 in 2001, the latter of which was particularly impressive as it included his five race wins in a row. His greatest success was in 1992, the year when his last two drivers, David Coulthard and Patrick Firth, met Ferrari’s Michael Schumacher, the man he once branded “the golden god”.
However, his impact as a constructor is also well-known. He was not shy about throwing funds around to champion the cause of racing, hoping to ignite a renaissance for the sport as a whole. He was also a tireless supporter of youngsters, with some of his greatest successes being supplied by the sport’s rising talents.
Alongside his 14 Grand Prix wins, Williams also had an exemplary record in improving the technical capabilities of Formula One cars. From the time of the team’s formation in 1977, he was the first team to introduce a powerful Renault V8 engine for the 1988 British Grand Prix, which was popular in the West. He would go on to have such improvements as the V8s, the Honda CBR1R (1992), the V12s (1993, 1995, 2001) and the Honda V8s (2002, 2004). The victory at Monaco was also the team’s 13th win in 15 races.
Now that he is gone, his legacy in Formula One is sure to continue.