[HN Gopher] Legendary F1 team boss Sir Frank Williams dies, aged 79
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       Legendary F1 team boss Sir Frank Williams dies, aged 79
        
       Author : ksec
       Score  : 113 points
       Date   : 2021-11-28 17:18 UTC (5 hours ago)
        
 (HTM) web link (www.formula1.com)
 (TXT) w3m dump (www.formula1.com)
        
       | axegon_ wrote:
       | One of the people I admired immensely in F1. He truly went after
       | his dreams and achieved them. His wife get a lot less credit than
       | she deserves because she also had a lot to do with his success.
       | Rest in peace, legend!
        
       | thiagocsf wrote:
       | I know the man's life is admirable but I'll never forgive him for
       | killing Ayrton Senna.
        
         | mgarfias wrote:
         | How do you feel about Adrian newey?
        
       | frereubu wrote:
       | I love photos of the early days of Frank Williams, such as this
       | one tinkering with the brake assembly in velvet flared trousers
       | and a shirt: https://cdn.24htech.asia/link/wp-
       | content/uploads/2021/11/290... What a different time.
       | 
       | I cleary remember staying up late to see Nigel Mansell claim the
       | championship in the Australian(?) GP (I live in the UK) and being
       | devasted when his wheel blew in the last few laps.
       | 
       | Quite a history - feels a bit like those photos of the Queen
       | meeting presidents all the way through from Truman to Biden.
        
       | W-Stool wrote:
       | I highly recommend Sir Frank's late wife Ginny's book "Williams:
       | A Different Kind of Life". It details Frank's struggles in his
       | early racing days (too broke to have a telephone at home) and his
       | struggles later on after his horrific car accident. To say Frank
       | was a fighter who never gave up is an understatement, and for
       | those younger F1 fans who never saw the Williams team when they
       | ran up front, I can tell you they were, more than one time, the
       | team to beat. RIP Sir Frank Williams - they don't make them like
       | you anymore.
        
       | choeger wrote:
       | Sad to read this, but at least he saw his team have some success
       | this season.
       | 
       | RIP, Sir Williams.
        
       | mgarfias wrote:
       | Bob Bondurant died a short while ago. Now Frank. 2021 sucks.
        
       | herbstein wrote:
       | A moment that sticks in my brain is Lewis Hamilton driving Sir
       | Frank Williams around the Silverstone circuit.
       | 
       | https://youtu.be/kSoQtwbpcGU
        
         | Nelson69 wrote:
         | That is a particularly good memory.
        
         | sbarre wrote:
         | Thanks for sharing that video, I'd never seen it before...
        
       | beebeepka wrote:
       | Killing Senna ruined them. Hearing Frank - as an old and almost
       | broken looking man - admit that during an interview (the last one
       | I've seen) made me respect the guy a bit more. He looked like he
       | felt guilty. They were guilty.
       | 
       | Rest in peace, old man.
        
         | foldr wrote:
         | Senna died in 1994, and Williams won their last championship in
         | 1997.
         | 
         | The evidence on exactly what caused the Senna crash is
         | equivocal. There is a theory that the crash was caused (or
         | exacerbated) by failure of the steering column. However, there
         | is no evidence that conclusively rules out the simplest
         | explanation (driver error).
        
           | sgt101 wrote:
           | That's what I said!
           | 
           | (CEO Boeing Aircraft)
        
         | edderly wrote:
         | You do realize that Ayrton's nephew drove for Williams?
         | 
         | https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-motor-racing-williams-sen...
        
         | hef19898 wrote:
         | Not sure if that's the right way to look at it. Formula One,
         | back then, was much less afe than today. They pushed the
         | limits, technical, and Senna pushed them as a driver. Both knew
         | what they gor thselves into. It was a tragic accident, not more
         | and not less.
        
       | dan_pixelflow wrote:
       | Frank was simply a man with a dream and he achieved it. 9
       | constructors' championships, 7 drivers' championships: Jones,
       | Rosberg, Piquet, Mansell, Prost, Hill and Villeneuve.
       | 
       | The last decade or so of Williams has been very hard for the
       | team, but I'm glad he saw the beginning of a return to form with
       | a decent amount of points this season - and that podium at Spa.
       | 
       | I never met him, but I know some who did and they always had
       | nothing but praise for the man. He was loved by all, and was
       | very, very smart. His relationship with his drivers, even after
       | leaving the position of Team Principal, was second-to-none.
       | Williams was his family, and I'm very glad Capito/Dorilton kept
       | the name after purchasing - it's more than just a name.
       | 
       | This world is thrown around a lot, but I think it's fitting here:
       | he was a legend of the motorsport world, and a legend of the
       | engineering world. His reputation and status in the paddock
       | cannot be overstated. Rest in peace, Sir Frank.
        
         | mhh__ wrote:
         | I think the days of a team like Williams thriving in F1 are
         | over, unfortunately. Maybe I'm being too cynical but I don't
         | think cost-caps can fight entropy like that.
        
       | roflchoppa wrote:
       | SFW was truly dedicated to motor sports. There is a nice
       | documentary 'Williams' if you're interested in f1.
        
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       (page generated 2021-11-28 23:02 UTC)