Williams and Renault formed one of the most potent partnerships F1 has ever seen.
Between 1989 and 1997 they won 63 out of 146 races and took pole position 79 times – more than half the races they entered together,
With the pair set to join forces again next year, here’s a look back on their remarkable nine years of success.
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Images © Williams/LAT, Williams/Sutton
King Nigel Mansell
5th July 2011, 16:35
The beautiful years…
sw6569 (@sw6569)
5th July 2011, 17:04
Thanks Keith. Nostalgia overload makes me a happy fanatic.
Fixy (@)
5th July 2011, 17:53
I have a new fan moment: Williams!
Fer no.65 (@fer-no65)
5th July 2011, 17:05
The Espace!!! :D I remember using it every day in Gran Turismo 2!
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
5th July 2011, 17:09
Ah, then you’ll love this…
Video: Road cars with F1 engines
BasCB (@bascb)
5th July 2011, 19:42
Most certainly so Keith! :-D
damonsmedley (@damonsmedley)
6th July 2011, 18:20
Wow, that’s really interesting! I can’t believe I’d never seen that!
And very good pictures. I’ve saved them all for wallpapers! :D
ajokay (@)
5th July 2011, 17:14
Finally a decent picture of the F1 Espace!
Every single one of these cars is beautiful, and the FW17 has to be my all-time favourite F1 car.
Aww heck, it is my all time favourite F1 car.
xbx-117 (@xbx-117)
5th July 2011, 17:19
Wow, there are some great shots here. The Mansell and Senna shot always makes me smile, such a great moment. Wish I could have seen it live.
spanky the wonder monkey
6th July 2011, 14:42
that was one of ‘those’ moments that defines F1 / motorsport. intense rivals, yet still sporting.
Robbie
5th July 2011, 18:05
That image of the infamous moment of MS bouncing himself off JV and into the kitty litter is one that is forever etched in my mind…
Eggry (@eggry)
5th July 2011, 18:25
Glorious moments. Let’s hope it would come back soon.
dennis (@dennis)
5th July 2011, 18:30
I want sparks back. Badly.
The Last Pope
5th July 2011, 18:36
Ah the memories.
One small error though, Coulthard joined Williams as a test driver in ’93, not in ’94 as a replacement for senna.
sw6569 (@sw6569)
5th July 2011, 19:11
Such a shame that Mansellmania (i.e. post-race track invasions) cannot happen anymore. Yes they were dangerous, but wow they made the victory that much more special.
DaveW
5th July 2011, 19:54
The 92 season and Mansellmania was a huge moment in motorspot and that picture brings back memories. Silverstone underlined an epic season for him. And then he immediately came to CART, putting a massive international spotlight on U.S. open wheel racing. CART was probably at its peak then, with incredibly powerful engines and aero that was pushing 230 at Indy. Then you had Mansell come in to join Mario Andretti, two Unsers, Cheever, Paul Tracy, Rahal, Vasser, Pruett, Fittipaldi, Sullivan, to name some. Many greats and a lot of quality F1 provenance.
Of course, his swap with Michael Andretti also attracted much attention, but of a different tone. In any event it put a lot of new American eyes on F1.
literalf1 (@literalf1)
5th July 2011, 20:05
This certainly is very nostalgic, even though neither the cars nor the paint job is anything similar.
The Renault engine is actually a very good engine, very drivable & fuel efficient. Sadly, most people only talk about it’s lack of power all the time.
Oli
5th July 2011, 21:56
Some great memories from looking through these pictures. For me F1 hasn’t quite been the same without a competitive Williams team. Would love to see them challenging once more. I’ve always liked the 1991 FW14 for some reason, late 80’s and early 90’s was so good, proper cars :-)
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
5th July 2011, 22:05
Fascinating to compare it with the 1990 Williams and the Leyton House CG901B from the same year, arguably its true predecessor. Adrian Newey’s fingerprints all over it.
BasCB (@bascb)
6th July 2011, 11:47
sure does.
spanky the wonder monkey
6th July 2011, 14:44
agree totally.
saw a documentary on FW on satellite a few weeks ago. williams were the true underdogs!
UKfanatic (@)
6th July 2011, 5:17
I hope that the British people will now wake up and really appreciate Williams, since 97 forgotten but thankfully revived.
Oli
6th July 2011, 18:26
To be fair I imagine Williams have always been appreciated by the British fans. Its just that they have been in constant decline since the BMW days ended (and since Montoya left), there’s not been too much to celebrate. Lets hope this is the start of a revival!
Mike
6th July 2011, 8:46
Great pictures Kieth, just exceptional.
smifaye (@)
6th July 2011, 10:23
Oh man, I fricking love Williams, especially these years.
Jon
6th July 2011, 12:28
Just set the Hill/Coulthard Silverstone one as my wallpaper. :D
AndrewTanner (@andrewtanner)
7th July 2011, 13:03
You just don’t get sparks like that these days!