The news of the disappearance of Sir Frank Williams inevitably significantly touched the entire Formula 1 community and especially his team, of which his family had retained the management until September 2020. But the story of Frank Williams and Williams could never have been the same without the presence of the co-founder, collaborator and friend of the man who gave his name to what would become the third most successful team in F1 history: Patrick Head. Always Williams’ right hand man, the 75-year-old British engineer left the team in 2012, returning in March 2019 as a consultant.
The sad news of Sir Frank’s death prompted the former technical director of the team that dominated the 90s in the Circus to talk about his special relationship with one of the most influential and crucial men in motorsport history. “Frank was very active on the commercial and operational side, I was on the design and production side – said Head – and we generally did not interfere in each other’s ‘zone’. There have been times when I’ve found the challenges overwhelming, but Frank was always positive. He was always convinced that ‘everything will work out, friend’. It was difficult not to be carried away by his positive attitude “.
“Over the years, a few times, we have had reasons to argue – added the co-founder of Williams – but I can honestly say that I never had reason to doubt his commitment to supporting me no matter what engineering challenge presented itself, even when we sometimes took the time to correct it. Frank’s commitment and enthusiasm to pursue success on the track was contagious, not just to me but to everyone else who worked at Williams. Until the last days the Williams family ran the business, you could find Frank at the factory and specifically where the team’s cars and mechanics are located, inspiring whoever was working.“.
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