F1 | Ecclestone pays respects to the late Sir Frank Williams: "They don't grow them like Frank anymore"
Following the announcement on Sunday of the passing of founder and former team principal of Williams Formula 1 team Sir Frank Williams, Bernie Ecclestone has paid his respects to the man he described as “a racer through and through”
Sir Frank Williams who founded Williams, the second most successful Formula 1 team with a total of 9 constructors’ championships and 7 drivers’ championships. Following the announcement from the Williams family on Sunday that Frank Williams had sadly passed away, the entire Formula 1 and wider motorsport communities have come together to pay their respects, including former F1 CEO Bernie Ecclestone.
In an interview with Reuters, Ecclestone acknowledged the importance of Williams’ and “men like [him]” to the sport.
"Without those type of people I doubt whether Formula One would have still been going now. Probably Ferrari would have stopped and that would have been it.
"There’s not many of the old-timers floating around now -- those that were with the teams when they started.
"You could buy an engine and a gearbox (in those days). You didn’t need to have multi, multi-billions and have 1,000 people working for you."
From these humble beginnings, the late Sir Frank Williams took his team to the pinnacle of Formula 1
— Formula 1 (@F1) November 28, 2021
And it's one of the most incredible stories in F1 history ⬇️
Ecclestone continued to recall memories of Williams, a man who he considered an old friend.
"Frank was a little bit special as a person. And that sort of showed in the way he kept going," he said.
"Things were never really bad as far as Frank was concerned, he never complained about things. He got on with things the best way he could. And that’s the reason he was so successful. He was a racer through and through."
From these humble beginnings, the late Sir Frank Williams took his team to the pinnacle of Formula 1
— Formula 1 (@F1) November 28, 2021
And it's one of the most incredible stories in F1 history ⬇️
Ecclestone also recalled Williams' reliability as well as, anecdotally, his eye for fashion.
"He was always ahead of the game. He knew about cashmere sweaters when I’d never heard of cashmere. That was Frank," he continued.
"He’d say to me 'Could you lend me 2,000 pounds'. And I’d say yes. And he’d say 'I’ll pay you in 10 days'. As sure as anything, Frank would return in 10 days with 2,000 pounds.
"He’d talk about whatever and then just before he went he’d say ‘I wonder if you could help me? Do you think you could lend me 2,500 pounds? I’ll pay you back in 10 days.’ And that’s how we worked with Frank. I would trust him with my life."
He went on to discuss Williams' resilience, highlighting his recovery from the injuries he sustained in his 1986 car accident in France and recalling a conversation he had with Formula 1 doctor Sid Watkins.
"I said ‘How long’s this going to last?’ and [Watkins] said ‘I think he’ll be here for six months looking at the ceiling’. I said ‘Is he going to survive all this?’ and he said ‘I don’t think so’. And Sid really knew (the science).
"As usual Frank proved everyone wrong. They don’t grow them like Frank any more."
