Legendary Formula One figure dead at 79

2 years ago 360

Frank Williams, the laminitis of the Williams Formula 1 team and the longest-serving squad main the athletics has ever seen, has died astatine 79.

The Williams F1 team, founded successful 1977, dominated overmuch of the 1980s and 1990s nether his guidance, and has 117 contention victories successful total.

The squad built successful his sanction grew into 1 of the astir palmy successful the sport, winning 7 drivers' titles and 9 constructors' championships.

"It is with large sadness that connected behalf of the Williams family, the squad tin corroborate the decease of Sir Frank Williams CBE, laminitis and erstwhile squad main of Williams Racing, astatine the property of 79," the squad said.

"After being admitted into infirmary connected Friday, Sir Frank passed distant peacefully this greeting surrounded by his family.

"Today we wage tribute to our overmuch loved and inspirational figurehead. Frank volition beryllium sorely missed. We petition that each friends and colleagues respect the Williams family's wishes for privateness astatine this time."

Williams sustained a spinal cord wounded successful a 1986 car clang which near him incapable to walk. He stepped down from the Williams' committee successful 2012, and handed implicit day-to-day moving of the squad to his girl Claire successful 2013.

Williams and his household sold the squad to concern steadfast Dorilton Capital successful the past 12 months. Current Williams F1 drivers George Russell and Nicholas Latifi paid their respects to Williams connected Twitter.

"Today, we accidental goodbye to the antheral who defined our team," Russell said. "Sir Frank was specified a genuinely fantastic quality being and I'll ever retrieve the laughs we shared. He was much than a boss, helium was a mentor and a person to everybody who joined the Williams Racing household and truthful galore others.

"It has been a genuine honour racing for him and being a tiny portion of the unthinkable bequest helium leaves behind, a bequest that volition everlastingly unrecorded connected successful the bosom and psyche of this team. Rest successful peace, Sir Frank. Thank you for everything."

Latifi said: "RIP Sir Frank Williams. Such bittersweet news. A immense nonaccomplishment for our athletics and our team.

"It's been an honour to correspond your sanction connected the satellite signifier and we volition proceed to propulsion hard to instrumentality the squad backmost up the grid."

Williams' existent CEO and squad main Jost Capito paid tribute to the team's founder.

"The Williams Racing squad is genuinely saddened by the passing of our laminitis Sir Frank Williams," helium said.

"Sir Frank was a fable and icon of our sport. His passing marks the extremity of an epoch for our squad and for the athletics of Formula 1. He was 1 of a benignant and a existent pioneer. Despite sizeable adversity successful his life, helium led our squad to 16 World Championships, making america 1 of the astir palmy teams successful the past of the sport.

"His values including integrity, teamwork and a fierce independency and determination, stay the halfway ethos of our squad and are his legacy, arsenic is the Williams household sanction nether which we proudly race. Our thoughts are with the Williams household astatine this hard time."

F1 President and CEO Stefano Domenicali besides paid his respects.

"He was a existent elephantine of our athletics that overcame the astir hard of challenges successful beingness and battled each time to triumph connected and disconnected the track. We person mislaid a much-loved and respected subordinate of the F1 household and helium volition beryllium hugely missed," Domenicali said.

"His unthinkable achievements and property volition beryllium etched connected our athletics forever. My thoughts are with each the Williams household and friends astatine this bittersweet time."

For a regular dose of the champion of the breaking quality and exclusive contented from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by clicking here!