![]() ![]() Williams never raced, nor did he design the cars driven to glory. “The Williams car of the early 1990s,” The New York Times wrote in 2016, “with its active suspension, semiautomatic gearbox, fly-by-wire controls and traction control, was so advanced that it led the series into banning most of the concepts for fear that the cars would end up being able to drive themselves with no need for a driver.”Įxcept for a few years early in his career, Mr. The Williams team dominated Formula 1 in the early 1980s and again in the ’90s, when its focus on technical innovation gave it an edge over teams sponsored by much larger and more well-financed corporate outfits. He exuded a childlike love for speed and cars during interviews he would sometimes pause when he heard the approach of a roaring engine, a boyish smile creeping across his face. He achieved that status as much through his team’s extraordinary record as through his own outsize public persona, at once ebullient and withdrawn, friendly and cutthroat. Williams was the rare manager whose name featured as prominently in the world of Formula 1 racing as his team’s drivers, who included stars like Damon Hill, Nigel Mansell, Nelson Piquet and Ayrton Senna. He had been admitted to a hospital for unspecified reasons two days before his death. His family announced the death in a statement but did not cite a cause. ![]() Frank Williams, a brash, hypercompetitive Formula 1 manager who overcame personal and professional adversity, including a car accident that rendered him a quadriplegic, to lead one of the most successful teams in the history of motorsports, died on Nov. ![]()
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