Latest news with #FrankWilliams
Daily Maverick
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Daily Maverick
Williams on track to reclaim Formula One glory, one race at a time
It's a long-term goal that won't be accomplished soon, but the future is starting to look far more promising than in recent years. Williams Racing is one of the most significant teams in Formula One. The British outfit, founded by grocery salesman Frank Williams and engineer Patrick Head in 1977, is the second-most-successful team in the sport's history. Only Italian team Ferrari (16) has won more constructors' championships. The team was dominant throughout the 1980s and 1990s, earning its nine constructors' championship titles in that period. Australian driver Alan Jones won Williams its first drivers' world title in 1980. Clay Regazzoni had earned Williams its first points a year before. In the following decade Williams achieved more success with the likes of Alain Prost, Keke Rosberg, Nelson Piquet, Nigel Mansell, Damon Hill and Jacques Villeneuve becoming Formula One champions in its stable. Decline and change The turn of the millennium brought a decline in Williams' performances, and it only worsened as the years went by. The team earned a single point in 2019, finishing at the bottom of the 10-team constructors' championship after 21 races. To highlight just how poor Williams performed, first-placed Mercedes collected more than 700 points that year. Fans of the team who were still holding on to the golden era of the Eighties and Nineties would have been forgiven for thinking it could not get worse. They were mistaken. Williams performed even poorer in the 2020 season, concluding it without a single point. It was a horrid period for the once influential Formula One outfit. The only positive result from that annus horribilis was the Williams family deciding to sell to Dorilton Capital towards the end of the season because of financial difficulties. 'I'm delighted that we found a buyer like Dorilton, which has a passion for Williams and getting that team back to where we all want to see the team in Formula One – being successful,' Claire Williams, the team's former deputy team principal, told PlanetF1 in 2024. 'I'm just incredibly happy that it's got that future and it can now thrive. That's what I wanted to see. 'Towards the end I saw how difficult it was for everybody at Williams that they weren't able to be successful, despite enormous efforts on their part. We didn't have the budget, we didn't have the money to enable these great people that we had working for us to do the job that we were asking them to do. 'That wasn't fair. Selling at that point was the right thing to do because Dorilton has now armed those people with the money to get the job done.' Heading in the right direction Williams is now in better financial standing and heading in the right direction. Though it is still not on solid ground financially, recording an £84-million deficit in 2023, the new owners have invested significantly in the team. They are focused on the future and restoring it to its former glory. Some promising displays so far this season from drivers Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz Jnr have seen Williams performing strongly. The team has already collected 54 points, compared with a paltry 17 last season. 'It's been a very promising start to the 2025 season. We've produced some really strong results and scored a huge number of points compared with recent seasons,' Albon told SB Nation. 'We have started the season strongly and we're delivering on the opportunities we're creating. We just need to ensure we don't get complacent and get the very maximum from what we have.' Leading this Williams resurgence is team principal James Vowles. With more than two decades in Formula One in various roles, the former Mercedes strategy director has been charged with bringing back the glory days of the British team. He was instrumental during Mercedes' dominant Formula One run between 2014 and 2021. Before that he played a pivotal role at minnows Brawn, where he oversaw the race strategy that resulted in Jenson Button securing the 2009 Formula One drivers' title and the team shockingly taking the constructors' championship. Key hires Vowles has been clear about his long-term vision and commitment to building the team 'from the ground up' since his arrival in 2023. At this point, the most important thing is fostering a competitive culture. Then, hopefully, the results will follow. 'If you want to win there is only one way to win: you can't get caught in the now,' Vowles told reporters at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. 'We were in a mess because we were short-termist all the way through the last 20 years. Some of it was financially driven, some of it driven by other elements. 'It's hard for fans to understand why we're doing this, but our targets are actually around the introduction of infrastructure, technology systems, how long it takes to build a front wing, how expensive it is. 'If I said to you our goal this year is to finish eighth, who cares? We'll probably beat that, but that's a moment in time. What we're defining here is a pathway that leads us back to winning.' In addition to Vowles, Williams has roped in a number of key people to bolster the technical team, including respected and experienced Pat Fry as chief technical officer. This move is aimed at strengthening its technical departments, particularly in aerodynamics and design. Williams may not reap the rewards any time soon, especially with its rivals also aiming for improvement after each race. However, for the fans who have followed the team through its ebbs and flows, the results so far will provide some hope that Williams can one day reclaim its spot at the summit of Formula One. DM This story first appeared in our weekly Daily Maverick 168 newspaper, which is available countrywide for R35.
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Beckley Common Council opts to set new lease for East Park non-profit, before voiding current lease
BECKLEY, WV (WVNS) — Beckley Common Council opted not to cancel an existing lease for a non-profit organization which operates from a city-owned building in East Park. The Southern West Virginia Multicultural Museum and Community Center has operated from a Washington Street building in Ward 3 since 2011, offering classes, summer day camp and literacy programs, according to one of the founders. Council members have said the non-profit should pay utilities, according to the terms of the 2011 lease agreement. Baldur's Gate 3: The Original Gish However, Ward 3 Councilman Frank Williams, who began directing the community center several years ago, said the city had paid utilities for years and that he had no knowledge of the 2011 lease terms. Council members have discussed a new lease agreement in order to clarify the terms. City Attorney Bill File told Council members on Tuesday, May 27, 2025, they could vote to cancel the current lease and to set a new lease within 30 days, but Council unanimously decided not to do so. 'A new lease needs to be completed prior to us cancelling this lease,' said Ward 5 Councilman Janine Bullock. How many missing persons are found? At-Large Councilwoman Sherrie Hunter agreed with Bullock. 'I would rather the terms of the lease be presented to us first and then rather than waiting and not having a lease,' said Hunter. 'We know how leases have, unfortunately, worked out before.' Last year, the owner and founder of Fruits of Labor Cafe moved out of a city-owned downtown building after operating there for around two years. City officials came under fire for having invited the Fruits of Labor owner into the building without first entering into a binding lease agreement. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
BBC News
21-03-2025
- Automotive
- BBC News
F1 legend Claire Williams named as Make a Difference Awards judge
Formula 1 legend Claire Williams has joined BBC Radio Berkshire's Make a Difference Awards as a ran the Williams team, founded by her father Sir Frank Williams, between 2013 and 2020, and is now a main contributor on the Netflix series Drive to will judge the volunteer category for this year's awards, which celebrates people who give their time voluntarily to help judges include Basingstoke actor James Bye, who will judge the fundraiser category, and former Reading manager Steve Coppell, who will look after the active category. Berkshire-born Williams sold the Formula 1 team in 2020, and said it still felt "surreal" five years on."Formula 1 was everything to our family, we were in it for many, many years," she said."[But] to be able to watch it occasionally from the comfort of my sofa is also nice."She said she was "really excited" to be judging the award."There are so many people in this county who do so many extraordinary things voluntarily to give their time to others, and I'm sure I'm going to be met with countless stories," she continued."I think it's just going to be fascinating."But she joked that choosing a winner could be "harder than running the [Williams] team"."How do you differentiate between all these incredible people that do amazing things in their communities?" she said."I'm really looking forward to it but I think it's going to be a difficult challenge." You can follow BBC Berkshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
