The Williams FW45 which is been driven by Alex Albon and Logan Sargeant in the 2023 F1 season has been decked out in a special celebratory livery that includes the Union Jack on the engine cover and a nod to the Grove-based team's 800th race milestone on the sidepods. The car's sponsor, Gulf, now has more visible branding on the rear wing's endplates. After the cancellation of the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix in Imola, Williams' 800th race, originally scheduled for the Silverstone weekend, was moved to Hungary. Williams, however, elected to retain the livery on the vehicle for both race weekends so that the team could continue to celebrate its anniversary in front of its British supporters at Silverstone. It is to be noted that Williams' 800th race celebration livery is completely different from the fan-voted Gulf livery that will feature on the vehicle for the Singapore, Japan, and Qatar races.
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F1 British Grand Prix: Williams’ Origin
Williams, which the late Sir Frank Williams established in 1977, has a long and illustrious history in Formula 1. When it was at its peak, the Grove-based team won nine constructors' titles and seven drivers' championships. For the bulk of the team's 800 Grand Prix (GP) starts, Sir Frank Williams stayed at the helm until his death in November 2021.
Introducing our adapted livery to celebrate 800 Grands Prix #WeAreWilliams pic.twitter.com/l7p2ItL9q3
— Williams Racing (@WilliamsRacing) July 5, 2023
At the 1977 Spanish Grand Prix, the team debuted with Patrick Nève driving a March chassis. Williams began producing its own vehicles the following year, and Clay Regazzoni won the British Grand Prix in 1979 with a Williams vehicle. Williams joined Ferrari, McLaren, Mercedes, and Red Bull Racing as the only teams in Formula One history to win 100 races when Jacques Villeneuve won the 1997 British Grand Prix for the team. Between 1980 and 1997, Williams won nine Constructors' Championships. That stood as the record until Ferrari won their tenth title in 2000.
On September 6, 2020, Frank and Claire Williams stood down from their respective roles as Manager and Deputy Manager of the team. Their last race in those capacities was the Italian Grand Prix in 2020.
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F1: Williams' 2023 Season so Far
Williams has only scored points twice this season, putting them in ninth place in the constructors' standings as they go to their home race at Silverstone. Albon, team's experienced driver, scored a point after finishing 10th in the first race of the Bahrain Grand Prix.
Then, last month at the Canadian Grand Prix, Albon finished seventh to raise the team's spirits and bring their total to seven points. Even though rookie Sargeant finished 13th at the Red Bull Ring in Austria last weekend, he still has no points to show for his efforts this season.
During the race weekend at Silverstone, Williams brand ambassador and former driver Jenson Button will be giving demos of Nigel Mansell's world championship-winning FW14B and hosting a fan zone in London.
Williams claims the livery honours the team's British roots and the legacy of Sir Frank Williams, who gave his name to the organisation and presided over its early success until his death in 2021.
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