Williams was founded in 1977 by Frank Williams and Patrick Head, and became one of Formula 1’s leading independent teams. Based at Grove, it grew quickly from a privateer-style operation into a championship-winning constructor, taking its first Grand Prix win in 1979 and its first Constructors’ Championship in 1980. Through the 1980s and 1990s, Williams won titles with drivers including Alan Jones, Keke Rosberg, Nelson Piquet, Nigel Mansell, Alain Prost, Damon Hill and Jacques Villeneuve, often combining strong engineering with major engine partnerships such as Honda and Renault.
After its last championship in 1997, Williams remained a respected F1 name but…