British Grand Prix – Williams will run celebratory messages on their FW42 this weekend, as Sir Frank Williams marks his 50th year in charge of an F1 team.
Heading to the team’s home race at Silverstone, as well as the venue that played host to the Williams team’s first ever F1 win in 1979, Williams will mark the occasion by running celebratory decals and messages on their car.
This weekend marks the 824th race that Sir Frank Williams has been Team Principal of Williams (including the original entry that raced between 1969 and 1976), and is also serving as the 50th anniversary of his ownership of the team.
With Sir Frank confined to a wheelchair for over thirty years due to a road traffic accident following a Williams test at Paul Ricard in 1986, his appearances at F1 Grands Prix nowadays are few and far between, with the day to day running of the team taken care of by Deputy Team Principal Claire Williams.
While the team also mark the 40th anniversary of their first ever Formula 1 win, their on track competitiveness suggests this will be a weekend to forget otherwise. Robert Kubica and George Russell head to Silverstone as the only two drivers yet to score a point this year, with Williams the only team not to be on the scoreboard.
With Sir Frank making the trip from Grove to watch his team and his drivers (including George Russell in his first ever home race), Senior Race Engineer Dave Robson says the whole team are looking forward to the stalwart support of the British public: “We are looking forward to our home race, facing the challenges of this iconic circuit and continuing our progress. This will be George’s first experience of a home Formula One race and the power of the local British crowd, and a great opportunity for him to understand how to harness this support. With this race so close to our base, we also welcome the fact that Sir Frank will be able to join us over the weekend as we celebrate his 50th anniversary as a Formula One Team Principal.”
