19.02.2008 @ 23:47:43

Williams' champions have their say
Revealing the fifth in a series of six anniversarial racing liveries today at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona, two Williams FW30s will take to the track carrying the handwritten best wishes of the team’s seven World Champion drivers.

Alan Jones, Keke Rosberg, Nelson Piquet, Nigel Mansell, Alain Prost, Damon Hill and Jacques Jacques Villeneuve all sent the team personal congratulations as it embarks on its fourth decade of Formula One and at the Italian Grand Prix later this year, will record its 500th Grand Prix start.

With comments as suitably Australian as “I was the first” from Alan Jones to Nigel Mansell’s “Fabulous 28 wins, Red Five”, the livery is a celebration of some of the most evocative and talented names to have graced the sport in the past thirty years.

The 1982 World Champion, Keke Rosberg, for his part commented, “Thanks... for 4 great years” and Alain Prost, Williams’ 1993 Champion added, “Many thanks to all the team – I was proud to win my last World Championship with you.” The team’s most recent title winners, Damon Hill (1996) and Jacques Jacques Villeneuve (1997) said in turn “Thanks Frank” and “Thanks for 3 amazing years and the Championship.”

In addition to the good wishes from the seven World Champions, the thirty one drivers who have raced for the team in nearly as many years will grace the monocoque top, including names such as Ayrton Senna, Mario Andretti, Carlos Reutemann and Clay Regazzoni to current racers including Jenson Button, Juan Pablo Montoya and David Coulthard.

The full list of Williams drivers since 1978 is:

Years of Service WF1 Races WF1 Wins

*Alan Jones 4 (‘78 – ’81) 60 11
Clay Regazzoni 1 (’79) 15 1
Carlos Reutemann 3 (’80 – ’82) 31 3
*Keke Rosberg 4 (’82 – ’85) 47 5**
Mario Andretti 1 GP (‘82) 1 0
Derek Daly 12 GPs (’82) 12 0
Jacques Lafitte 2 (’83 – ‘84) 29 0
Jonathan Palmer 1 GP (’83) 1 0
*Nigel Mansell 7 (’84 – ‘88 & ’91 – ‘92 95 28 & 4 GPs ’94)
*Nelson Piquet 2 (’86 – ’87) 31 7
Riccardo Patrese 5 (’88 – ’92 & 1GP ’87) 81 4
Martin Brundle 1 GP (’88) 1 0
Jean Lois Schlesser 1 GP (’88) 1 0
Thierry Boutsen 2 (’89 – ’90) 32 3**
*Damon Hill 4 (’93 – ’96) 65 21
*Alain Prost 1 (’93) 16 7
Ayrton Senna 3 GPs (’94) 3 0
David Coulthard 1 (’95 & 8 GPs ’94) 25 1
*Jacques Jacques Villeneuve 3 (’96 – ’98) 49 11**
Heinz-Harald Frentzen 2 (’97 – ’98) 33 1
Ralf Schumacher 6 (’99 – ’04) 96 6**
Alex Zanardi 1 (’99) 16 0
Jenson Button 1 (’00) 17 0
Juan Pablo Montoya 4 (’01 – ’04) 68 4
Marc Gené 3 GPs (1 ’03 & 2 ’04) 3 0
Antonio Pizzonia 9 GPs (4 ’04 & 5 ’05) 9 0
Mark Webber 2 (’05 – ’06) 36 0
Nick Heidfeld 1 (’05) 18 0
Nico Rosberg 2 (’06 – today) 35 0
Alex Wurz 16 GPs (’07) 16 0
Kazuki Nakajima 1 GP (’07 – today) 1 0


* World Champions
** Total career wins, all won with Williams F1
Williams