Upholding the legacy of the late great Sir Frank Williams is a key driver in the revival underway at his eponymously named Formula 1 team.
For decades, Sir Frank’s Williams team was a class-leading innovator in F1. Through the 1980s and ‘90s, Williams helped define an era for the sport, engaging in the championship narrative, driver-based rivalries and pushing the boundaries of innovation.
The team was responsible for stoking a fire and passion in generations of F1 fans one. That passion was passed down to me from my father as a child when I watched Williams as the outside challenger through Ferrari’s F1 dominance in the early 2000s.
But as the 21st century wore on and the financial costs of F1 skyrocketed, the family-run Williams team fell further and further away from its glory days. Sponsorship disputes and the gut-wrenching impact of Covid meant the Williams family was forced to sell to Dorilton Capital in the summer of 2020. A year later, Sir Frank sadly passed away, and with his once-great F1 team yet to turn a corner.
In 2023, Williams elected James Vowles as Team Principal and immediately, the mission at the squad changed. Vowels was adamant from the outset that his long-term goal was to revive the once-great Williams to become class-leaders again. Two years on and Vowles has made great strides, having invested time and effort to rejuvenate the team’s infrastructure and processes, lured a new title partner in Atlassian and the long-term driving services of the talented Alex Albon and multiple Grand Prix winner Carlos Sainz.
With all these pieces assembled and Williams’ sights set firmly on success for the 2026 rule changes, I asked Vowles during a group media session following the launch of the FW47 in February if he felt Sir Frank would be proud of the direction the team is heading and how much of a motivator upholding his legacy is.
“The short answer is yes,” Vowles replied. “But let me put it to you in a slightly different way. This wasn’t the first day I put the shirt on with Atlassian and Williams on my chest. It was a few weeks ago when we did some filming and content. And I just took five minutes to be incredibly proud that I had the opportunity to bear his name and to bear Atlassian’s logo as well, and to be a representative of that in front of the world. We absolutely have a responsibility towards the late Sir Frank. I joined this team because it was the benchmark in the sport that redefined certain elements, for me, it brought me into the sport. And that’s why I’m here heading up Williams today. It means something to me, something very deep and personal. And answering your question, my goal is simply to bring this back to a championship level. And along the pathway, I want to make sure we do good to him, his name and his legacy.”
Alex Albon: There’s reinstated pride at Williams to get back to the front
Vowels’ words resonated strongly and spoke to the fact that Williams is deeply connected to its successful past, one curated by its incredible founder. Asking Albon a similar question in the build up to the F1 75 launch event in London, the Anglo-Thai driver revealed pride in restoring Williams’ legacy is something that has recently sparked, having faded away when he joined the team in 2022.
“It’s clear that obviously with Sir Frank, when he was spearheading the Williams team, the amount of success they had is different to where we are now,” Albon said. “I think the main thing is, especially for us at Grove, is to be proud and to feel like we have that desire and the passion to get back to where we once were. I think that time was quite a while ago now in many ways and so it’s important to revitalise and get the younger generation almost inspired by what the legacy was at Williams and seeing how we can get back to that position once again. You actually already feel that, I feel that within the team. I can see there’s a pride and a passion which I think two, three years ago wasn’t actually quite there. There is a different energy in the team and that’s kind of the goal that we’re going for.”
Sainz keen to bring Williams back to the front
One of the most extraordinary pieces in the Williams puzzle is Sainz. The four-time GP winner picked Williams over the might of Audi and stronger track record of Alpine, emboldened and persuaded by Vowles’ vision.
Sainz joins an elite group of drivers to race for McLaren, Ferrari and Williams that includes Nigel Mansell, Jacky Ickx and Alain Prost.
“I think if you would have asked me when I was 10 years old and I started to fall in love with Formula 1, which teams you would have loved to drive one day, I would have definitely picked those three,” Sainz said.
More importantly, Sainz said that his desire to join Williams is to help restore it to its former glory and that stepping on the podium in blue would be one of the “proudest” moments of his career.
“I’m in my 10th year in Formula 1 and I’m joining Williams in a very important moment where it’s going through some key changes in its history and nothing would make me happier or more proud, it would definitely be the proudest moment of my career if one day I can be on a podium with this team,” he said. “I want to help that in that process, help this historical team. I think it’s the second most successful team in Formula 1, and being part of that process and being part of that ride on my way back to the top of Formula 1 is what motivates me and what I think you guys can tell. I’m happy, I feel supported by this team and I think that’s hopefully going to bring the best version of myself.”
Setting the fastest time during pre-season testing doesn’t mean Sainz and Williams will be on the podium just yet, but there is wide conjecture through the paddock that the team has joined the midfield frontrunners Alpine and Haas in the battle for best of the rest. The season opener in Australia will prove if that speculation is on the money, but if sentiment is worth anything, perhaps Sir Frank’s legacy is worth an extra hundredth on track by way of motivation.
READ MORE – Carlos Sainz reveals the gap Williams is missing to be F1 podium contenders
