Williams Racing will run with a modified livery for this weekend’s British Grand Prix as the Grove-based outfit begin their celebrations for their eight-hundredth Grand Prix within the FIA Formula 1 World Championship.
The race at Silverstone was meant to be race eight hundred for the team but will instead be race seven hundred and ninety-nine after the cancellation earlier in the season of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix due to awful weather in that region of Italy.
Race eight hundred instead will now be the Hungarian Grand Prix later in the month, and Williams have opted to run their special livery, which contains a Union Jack on their engine cover, for both this weekend at Silverstone and next time out at the Hungaroring.
Williams made their debut as a team in the 1977 Spanish Grand Prix and as a constructor in the 1978 Argentine Grand Prix, and they have been one of the most successful teams in the history of Formula 1, taking one hundred and fourteen victories.
Founded by the late, great Sir Frank Williams and Sir Patrick Head, they have taken nine Constructors’ Championships and seven drivers’ championships, with the likes of Alan Jones, Keke Rosberg, Nelson Piquet, Nigel Mansell, Alain Prost, Damon Hill and Jacques Villeneuve all taking titles with the team.
Their most recent victory came in the hands of Pastor Maldonado in the 2012 Spanish Grand Prix, but more recently they have been fighting more at the back than at the front, with only sporadic top ten finishes across the past few seasons.
However, they are still fighting hard and remain a popular team within Formula 1 and are now under the leadership of Dorilton Capital and new Team Principal James Vowles, and currently have Alexander Albon and Logan Sargeant behind the wheel trying to make the most of their FW45.