Until 2020, he was still in charge of his successful team, despite being paralysed in a car accident in 1986 and handing over a part of the business to his daughter, Claire, in 2012. However, in 2020, Frank and Claire left the team after the team was taken over by an investment group. Frank had been in poor health since 2016 and especially since 2020, but whilst his death in 2021 was not surprising, it marked the end of an era, as he was the last living team founder with a team still active in Formula 1. He was knighted in 1999. Williams was a travelling grocery salesman before starting his team in 1966, competing in Formula 2 and Formula 3. The team struggled financially for many years before Clay Regazzoni took the first win for the team in 1979. The team have then gone on to take nine constructor's championships. In 2012, a road in Didcot was renamed Sir Frank Williams Avenue.

Biography last updated 6 May 2022