Editing Williams Racing (section)

==Racing history&nbsp;– Formula One==
===Ford-Cosworth engines (1977–1983)===
{{See also|Ford Motor Company|Cosworth}}
[[File:Williams logo (old).png|thumb|The original Williams logo]]

====1977 season====
Williams entered a [[March 761]] for the {{F1|1977}} season. Lone driver [[Patrick Nève]] competed in 11 races that year, starting with the {{F1 GP|1977|Spanish}}. The new team failed to score a point, achieving a best finish of 7th at the {{F1 GP|1977|Italian}}.<ref>''Williams Grand Prix Engineering&nbsp;– 1977 results'' [https://web.archive.org/web/20071008010930/http://www.f1db.com/exec/section/team/action/results/id/1977030/type/entries www.f1db.com]. Retrieved 22 August 2006.</ref>

====1978 season====
[[File:Williams FW06.jpg|thumb|left|The 1978 [[Williams FW06]] at [[Silverstone Circuit|Silverstone]] in 2007]]

For the {{F1|1978}} season, Patrick Head designed the first Williams car: the FW06. Williams signed [[Alan Jones (racing driver)|Alan Jones]], who had won the {{F1 GP|1977|Austrian}} the previous season for a devastated [[Shadow Racing Cars|Shadow]] team following the death of their lead driver, [[Tom Pryce]]. Jones's first race for the team was the {{F1 GP|1978|Argentine}} where he qualified in 14th position but retired after 36 laps due to a fuel system failure. The team scored its first championship points two races later at the {{F1 GP|1978|South African}} when Jones finished in fourth. Williams earnt their first podium at the {{F1 GP|1978|United States}}, where Jones came second, 20 seconds behind the [[Scuderia Ferrari|Ferrari]] of [[Carlos Reutemann]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Grand Prix Results: United States GP, 1978|url=http://www.grandprix.com/gpe/rr312.html|publisher=GrandPrix.com|access-date=13 November 2006}}</ref> Williams finished the season in ninth place in the Constructors' Championship, with a respectable 11 points, while Alan Jones finished 11th in the Drivers' Championship. Towards the end of 1978, Frank Williams recruited [[Frank Dernie]] to join Patrick Head in the design office.

====1979 season====
Head designed the [[Williams FW07|FW07]] chassis and gearbox for the {{F1|1979}} season with [[Frank Dernie]] picking up the suspension, aerodynamic development and skirt design. This was the team's first [[ground effect in cars|ground effect]] car, a technology that was first introduced by [[Colin Chapman]] and [[Team Lotus]]. Williams also obtained membership of the [[Formula One Constructors' Association]] (FOCA) which expressed a preference for teams to run two cars, so Jones was joined at the team by [[Clay Regazzoni]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Hamilton|first=Maurice|title=Frank Williams|year=1998|publisher=Macmillan|isbn=0-333-71716-3|page=80}}</ref> It was not until the seventh round of the championship, the {{F1 GP|1979|Monaco}}, that they finished in the points. Regazzoni came close to taking the team's first win but finished second, less than a second behind race winner [[Jody Scheckter]]. The next race, the [[1979 French Grand Prix|French Grand Prix]], is remembered for the final lap battle between [[René Arnoux]] and [[Gilles Villeneuve]], but also saw both cars finish in the points for the first time; as Jones was fourth with Regazzoni in sixth.<ref>{{cite web|title=Grand Prix Results: French GP, 1979|url=http://www.grandprix.com/gpe/rr321.html|publisher=GrandPrix.com|access-date=9 June 2012}}</ref> The team's first win came at the {{F1 GP|1979|British}} (their home Grand Prix) when Regazzoni finished 25 seconds ahead of second place.

Greater success followed when Williams got a 1-2 finish at the next round in [[1979 German Grand Prix|Germany]], Jones in first with Regazzoni two seconds behind in second. Jones then made it three wins in a row at the [[1979 Austrian Grand Prix|Austrian Grand Prix]], finishing half a minute ahead of Gilles Villeneuve's Ferrari. Three wins in a row became four two weeks later at the [[1979 Dutch Grand Prix|Dutch Grand Prix]], with Alan Jones winning yet again by a comfortable margin over [[Jody Scheckter]]'s Ferrari. Scheckter ended Williams's winning streak when he won the {{F1 GP|1979|Italian}}; with Regazzoni finishing third behind Scheckter and Villeneuve. Alan Jones managed another win at the penultimate race in [[1979 Canadian Grand Prix|Canada]] to cap off a great season.

Williams had greatly improved their Constructors' Championship position, finishing eight places higher than the previous year and scoring 59 more points. Alan Jones was the closest driver to the Ferrari duo of Villeneuve and 1979 champion Jody Scheckter. Jones scored 43 points, 17 points behind Scheckter, while Regazzoni was two places behind him with 32 points.
<!--Alan Jones was the closest driver to the Ferrari duo of Villeneuve and 1979 champion Jody Scheckter, the Australian scored 43 points, 17 behind the South African, while Jones's teammate, Regazzoni, was two places behind him with 32 points.-->

====1980 season====
Before the start of the 1980 season, Regazzoni left the team and was replaced by [[Carlos Reutemann]]. Williams started strong in the championship, with Jones winning the first race of the season in [[1980 Argentine Grand Prix|Argentina]]. Jones won four more races: the [[1980 French Grand Prix|French Grand Prix]], the [[1980 British Grand Prix|British Grand Prix]], the [[1980 Canadian Grand Prix|Canadian Grand Prix]] and, the last race of the season, the [[1980 United States Grand Prix|United States Grand Prix]]. Jones became the first of seven Williams drivers to win the Drivers' Championship, 17 points ahead of [[Nelson Piquet]]'s [[Brabham]]. Williams also won its first Constructors' Championship, scoring 120 points, almost twice as many as second-placed [[Equipe Ligier|Ligier]].

====1981 season====
Williams won four races in {{F1|1981}}. Alan Jones won the first race of the season, the [[1981 United States Grand Prix West|United States West Grand Prix]], and the final race of the season, the [[1981 Caesars Palace Grand Prix|Caesars Palace Grand Prix]]. Meanwhile, Carlos Reutemann won the [[1981 Brazilian Grand Prix|Brazilian Grand Prix]] and the [[1981 Belgian Grand Prix|Belgian Grand Prix]]. Williams won the Constructors' title for the second year in a row, scoring 95 points, 34 points more than second-placed Brabham.

====1982 season====
[[File:Williams F1 Main Article.jpg|thumb|[[Keke Rosberg]]'s [[Williams FW08|FW08]] used during the {{F1|1982}} season when Rosberg won the Drivers' Championship recording only a single win during the season]]

This season, Alan Jones retired from Formula One (though he would come back a year later for a single race with the [[Arrows Grand Prix International|Arrows]] team). The Australian was replaced by [[Keke Rosberg]], the father of [[2016 Formula One World Championship|2016]] World Champion [[Nico Rosberg]]. Rosberg had not scored a single point the previous year. He won the Drivers' title that year despite winning only one race, the {{F1 GP|1982|Swiss}}. Rosberg's teammate, [[Carlos Reutemann|Reutemann]], finished in 15th place having quit Formula One after just two races of the new season. His seat was filled by [[Mario Andretti]] for the [[1982 United States Grand Prix West|United States Grand Prix West]]; before [[Derek Daly]] took over for the rest of the year. Williams finished fourth in the Constructors' Championship that year, 16 points behind first-place [[Scuderia Ferrari|Ferrari]].

===Honda engines (1983–1987)===
{{main|Honda in Formula One}}

====1983 season====
Frank Williams looked towards Honda, who was developing a [[Turbocharger|turbocharged]] V6 engine with [[Spirit (racing team)|Spirit]]. A deal between Honda and Williams was settled early in 1983 and the team used the engines for the 1984 season. For the {{F1|1983}} season however, Williams continued to use the Ford engine except for the last race of the year in [[1983 South African Grand Prix|South Africa]]; where [[Keke Rosberg]] finished in an impressive fifth place. The team finished fourth in the Constructors' Championship, scoring 36 points. Also, Rosberg won that year's {{F1 GP|1983|Monaco}}.

====1984 season====
For the {{F1|1984}} season, the team ran an [[Williams FW09|FW09]]. Keke Rosberg won the [[1984 Dallas Grand Prix|Dallas Grand Prix]] and finished in second at the opening race in [[1984 Brazilian Grand Prix|Brazil]]. Rosberg's new teammate, [[Jacques Laffite]], came 14th in the Drivers' Championship with five points. The team finished sixth in the Constructors' with 25.5 points, with Rosberg finishing in eighth in the Drivers' Championship.

====1985 season====
[[File:Mansell - Williams 1985.jpg|thumb|[[Nigel Mansell]]'s Williams FW10 chassis used during the {{F1|1985}} season]]
In {{F1|1985}}, [[Patrick Head|Head]] designed the [[Williams FW10|FW10]], the team's first chassis to employ the [[carbon fibre-reinforced polymer|carbon-fibre composite]] technology pioneered by McLaren. [[Nigel Mansell]] replaced Laffite to partner with Rosberg. [[Frank Dernie|Dernie]] produced another competitive aerodynamic package. The team scored four wins with Rosberg winning the [[1985 Detroit Grand Prix|Detroit]] and [[1985 Australian Grand Prix|Australian Grands Prix]], and Mansell won the {{F1 GP|1985|European}} and the {{F1 GP|1985|South African}}. Williams finished in third in the Constructors' Championship, scoring 71 points.

During qualifying for the {{F1 GP|1985|British}}, Rosberg completed a lap of the circuit in 1:05.591. The lap's average speed was {{convert|160.938|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}. This was the fastest recorded lap in Formula One history to that point.

From 1985 until 1993, Williams ran their famous yellow, blue and white [[Canon Inc.|Canon]] livery.

====1986 season====
In March 1986, Frank Williams faced the most serious challenge of his life. While returning to the airport at [[Nice]], France, after pre-season testing, he was involved in a road accident that left him paralysed. He did not return to the pit lane for almost a year.<ref>{{cite book|last=Hamilton|first=Maurice|title=Frank Williams|year=1998|publisher=Macmillan|isbn=0-333-71716-3|pages=148–153}}</ref> Despite the lack of his trackside presence, the Williams team won nine Grands Prix and the Constructors' Championship and came close to winning the Drivers' Championship with Nigel Mansell, but the British driver's left-rear tyre blew at the {{F1 GP|1986|Australian}}, the final race of the season, while his fellow championship rival and new teammate, Nelson Piquet made a pitstop shortly after Mansell's retirement as a precaution. This left [[Alain Prost]] to defend his title successfully, despite being in a slower car.

====1987 season====
[[File:Williams FW11B Honda.jpg|thumb|[[Nelson Piquet]]'s championship-winning [[Williams FW11|FW11B]] from {{F1|1987}} was the only Honda-powered Williams to win a Drivers' Championship.]]

The {{F1|1987}} season brought the Williams-Honda partnership its first and only Drivers' Championship title in the hands of [[Nelson Piquet]]. Piquet won three races and scored 73 points in the Drivers' Championship. His teammate [[Nigel Mansell|Mansell]] came in second place with six victories and 61 points. Williams won the Constructors' Championship for the second year in a row, scoring 137 points, 61 points ahead of their nearest rivals, McLaren. Despite this success, Honda ended their partnership with Williams at the end of the year in favour of McLaren.

===Judd engines (1988)===
====1988 season====
Unable to make a deal with another major engine manufacturer, Williams used [[Naturally aspirated engine|naturally aspirated]] [[Judd (engine)|Judd engines]] for the {{F1|1988}} season.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.itv-f1.com/Feature.aspx?Type=Photo_Features&PO_ID=36777|title=ITV-F1.com: WilliamsF1 Highs And Lows|work=ITV F1|publisher=ITV|date=15 January 2007|access-date=15 May 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929092127/http://www.itv-f1.com/Feature.aspx?Type=Photo_Features&PO_ID=36777 |archive-date=29 September 2007}}</ref> This left them with a significant performance deficit compared with their turbo-powered rivals. [[Nelson Piquet|Piquet]] left Williams to join [[Team Lotus|Lotus]] who had retained their [[Honda in Formula One|Honda]] engines for the 1988 season, helped by having [[Satoru Nakajima]] as number 2 driver to Piquet. Nelson Piquet called [[Frank Dernie]] every week to persuade him to join Lotus. Eventually [[Frank Dernie|Dernie]] moved to Lotus to become their new Technical Director. Williams brought in [[Riccardo Patrese]] to replace Piquet. The team did not win a race that season and finished seventh in the Constructors' Championship, scoring 20 points. The highlights of the season for the team were two second-place finishes by Mansell. When Mansell was forced to miss two races due to illness, he was replaced by [[Martin Brundle]] for Belgium and [[Jean-Louis Schlesser]] for Italy. Schlesser's collision with [[Ayrton Senna]] in that race would deny McLaren a clean sweep of race wins that season.

===Renault engines (1989–1997)===
{{main|Renault in Formula One}}

The team secured [[Renault in Formula One|Renault]] as their engine supplier in 1989. Renault engines subsequently powered Williams's drivers to another four Drivers' and five Constructors' Championships up until Renault's departure from Formula One at the end of 1997. The team brought in [[Adrian Newey]] to replace [[Frank Dernie]]. The combination of Renault's powerful engine and [[Adrian Newey]]'s designing expertise led to the team dominating the sport in the mid-1990s alongside McLaren. Mansell had a record-breaking 1992 season, winning the title in record time and leading numerous races from pole to finish.

====1989 season====
[[File:WilliamsFW12PatreseExhSinsheim.JPG|thumb|[[Williams FW12C]], the first powered by a Renault engine]]
The Renault era started in {{F1|1989}}, with [[Riccardo Patrese]] and [[Thierry Boutsen]] at the helm of the two Williams cars. Boutsen replaced Mansell, who had signed a contract with Ferrari. The engine's first Grand Prix in [[1989 Brazilian Grand Prix|Brazil]] was one that the team would prefer to forget: Boutsen retired with an engine failure and Patrese with an alternator failure. Williams managed to get back on track with Boutsen finishing in fourth at the next race in [[1989 San Marino Grand Prix|Italy]]; winning the team three points. Two races later at the [[1989 Mexican Grand Prix|Mexican Grand Prix]], the team managed to achieve their first podium with the Renault engine, as Patrese finished second, 15 seconds behind [[Ayrton Senna]] in first. The next race saw Patrese finish second again, having started from 14th on the grid, with Boutsen finishing in 6th. At the sixth round in [[1989 Canadian Grand Prix|Canada]], Williams not only scored their first win with the Renault engine but also their first one-two: with Boutsen finishing in first followed by Patrese in second. This won the team 15 points. Williams came second in the Constructors' Championship, scoring 77 points, 64 points behind McLaren. Patrese finished 3rd in the Drivers' Championship with 40 points, 41 points behind first-placed [[Alain Prost]]. Boutsen finished 5th in the championship with 37 points after also winning in [[1989 Australian Grand Prix|Australia]]. Boutsen's win gave Williams the distinction of having won both the first and last Grand Prix of the 1980s.

====1990 season====
In the {{F1|1990}} season, Williams kept [[Riccardo Patrese|Patrese]] and [[Thierry Boutsen|Boutsen]] as the team's drivers. The team scored 20 fewer points than the previous year and finished fourth in the Constructors' Championship two positions lower than in 1989. In the Drivers' Championship, Boutsen finished sixth with 34 points and Patrese in seventh with 23 points.

====1991 season====
[[File:Mansell and Senna at Silverstone cropped.jpg|thumb|[[1991 British Grand Prix]] winner Nigel Mansell giving Ayrton Senna a lift back to the Silverstone paddock after Senna had run out of fuel]]
Boutsen left Williams and joined [[Equipe Ligier|Ligier]] at the start of the {{F1|1991}} season. Replacing him was a returning [[Nigel Mansell]], who was talked out of retirement by Frank Williams himself following two tumultuous seasons at Ferrari. Williams also recruited future 1996 world champion, [[Damon Hill]], as their reserve driver. Williams failed to finish the first Grand Prix of the season, the [[1991 United States Grand Prix|US Grand Prix]], with both drivers retiring due to gearbox problems. Patrese got back on track for the team in the next Grand Prix at [[1991 Brazilian Grand Prix|Interlagos]], coming second behind McLaren's [[Ayrton Senna]]. The [[1991 San Marino Grand Prix]] saw both cars retiring yet again: with Mansell crashing and Patrese suffering from an electrical failure. The [[1991 Monaco Grand Prix|Monaco Grand Prix]] saw Mansell finish in the points, coming in second. At the next race, the [[1991 Canadian Grand Prix|Canadian Grand Prix]], Williams locked out the front row only for Patrese to drop back with gearbox problems and Mansell to retire from the lead on the final lap due to an electrical fault. At the following race in [[1991 Mexican Grand Prix|Mexico]], Williams achieved a 1–2 finish, with Patrese finishing in first and Mansell finishing in second. Williams then ran a streak of victories, with Mansell winning the [[1991 French Grand Prix|French Grand Prix]], five seconds ahead of [[Alain Prost]]'s [[Scuderia Ferrari|Ferrari]]. Mansell then won again at the [[1991 British Grand Prix|British Grand Prix]]; it had been four years since a Briton had won the Grand Prix, Mansell having won it in [[1987 British Grand Prix|1987]]. Three consecutive victories became four when Mansell won again in [[1991 German Grand Prix|Germany]], with Patrese about 10 seconds behind him in second place. Senna ended Williams's run of victories by winning in [[1991 Hungarian Grand Prix|Hungary]], finishing five seconds ahead of Mansell. Mansell later won the [[1991 Italian Grand Prix|Italian Grand Prix]] and the [[1991 Spanish Grand Prix|Spanish Grand Prix]], while Patrese won the [[1991 Portuguese Grand Prix|Portuguese Grand Prix]] after Mansell's race was ruined by a botched pitstop in which only three wheel nuts were fitted. Williams finished second in the Constructors' Championship, scoring 125 points in total, 14 points behind McLaren. Mansell finished second in the Drivers' Championship with 72 points, 24 points behind Senna.

====1992 season====
[[File:Williams FW14B.jpg|thumb|[[Nigel Mansell]]'s [[Williams FW14]]B used for the {{F1|1992}} season when he won the Drivers' Championship and the team won the Constructors' Championship]]

Williams took a step up for the {{F1|1992}} season, keeping their {{F1|1991}} driver line-up of [[Riccardo Patrese|Patrese]] and [[Nigel Mansell|Mansell]]. Mansell dominated the first round in [[1992 South African Grand Prix|South Africa]], qualifying in pole position and winning the race by 24 seconds from his teammate, Patrese. Nigel Mansell won the next four rounds for Williams, at [[1992 Mexican Grand Prix|Mexico City]], [[1992 Brazilian Grand Prix|Interlagos]], [[1992 Spanish Grand Prix|Catalunya]] and [[1992 San Marino Grand Prix|Imola]], Patrese coming second in all but one (the Spanish Grand Prix at Catalunya, where he retired after spinning off). Mansell's five victories in the opening five races was a new record in Formula One. Senna won the next race in [[1992 Monaco Grand Prix|Monaco]], ahead of both Williams cars, which finished second and third. In the next race, in [[1992 Canadian Grand Prix|Canada]], both Williams cars retired: Mansell spun off on entering the final corner (he claimed that Senna pushed him off) and Patrese had a gearbox failure. Mansell went on to record four more Grand Prix wins, including at the [[1992 British Grand Prix|British Grand Prix]]. (In the final round, in [[1992 Australian Grand Prix|Adelaide]], the two Williams cars again retired, Mansell after Senna violently crashed into the back of him, and Patrese with electrical problems.) Williams won the Constructors' Championship with 164 points, 65 points more than second-place McLaren. Mansell became World Champion, scoring 108 points, with Patrese finishing second with 56 points. Placing first in nine races, Mansell had set a new record for the most wins by a single driver in one year. Despite this, there looked to be significant upheaval at Williams for 1993; what followed led to a domino effect that had not only effects on the World Championship, but also the [[Championship Auto Racing Teams|CART]]-sanctioned [[Champ Car World Series|PPG IndyCar Series]].

=====1992 off-season=====
Williams was interested in signing Alain Prost to drive one of its two cars for 1993 as he was returning from his year long sabbatical after being sacked by Scuderia Ferrari during the 1991 World Championship. Patrese, perhaps figuring that he would be the driver being sacked in order for Prost to take one of the two available rides, decided to leave after driving for Williams since 1987. He would join up with Benetton, where he would replace [[Martin Brundle]] alongside [[Michael Schumacher]] in the team's [[Camel (cigarette)|Camel]]-backed Fords.

Mansell, meanwhile, was not pleased that Williams was looking to bring Prost aboard. Prost had joined Ferrari alongside Mansell, replacing [[Gerhard Berger]], for the 1990 World Championship after his run of success with McLaren, and the two drivers' relationship (or lack thereof) played a large part in Mansell's previously mentioned decision to leave F1 before Williams stepped in. Unwilling to serve as Prost's teammate for another year, Mansell joined the [[Championship Auto Racing Teams|CART IndyCar Series]] for 1993; he replaced [[Michael Andretti]], son of and teammate to [[Mario Andretti]], at [[Newman/Haas Racing]].

Michael Andretti, meanwhile, would be making the jump to F1 for 1993 and signed to drive for McLaren filling the seat held by Berger. He entered a team that was in flux, as there were questions as to who else would be driving for the team and what engines they would be running. Honda, the team's longtime supplier, left the World Championship following the season. Coinciding with this was the fact that Ayrton Senna's contract was due for renewal, and he was not sure he was going to stay. After McLaren was unable to procure a supply of Renault engines, Senna decided to explore other options; he approached Williams with an offer to take the seat Mansell was vacating, claiming he would forgo collecting a salary for the opportunity.

However, as with Mansell, there were lingering bad feelings between Prost and Senna from their championship chasing years at McLaren. Prost would sign a two year contract for Williams, which included a veto power clause for the 1993 season; he exercised that clause and froze Senna out of driving for Williams. Senna returned to McLaren where he ran Ford engines. Williams in turn opted not to pursue Berger, who returned to Ferrari, or Brundle, who signed with [[Équipe Ligier|Ligier]]; instead, test driver [[Damon Hill]] was promoted to pair with Prost.

====1993 season====
[[File:Williams FW15C front-right Donington Grand Prix Collection.jpg|thumb|[[Damon Hill]]'s [[Williams FW15C]] used for the {{F1|1993}} season on display at the [[Donington Grand Prix Collection]]]]

The [[Williams FW15C]] was an extremely dominant car, with active suspension and traction control systems beyond anything available to the other teams.<ref>{{cite web|last=Saward|first=Jow|title=Frank Williams Interview|url=http://www.grandprix.com/ft/ft00150.html|publisher=GrandPrix.com|date=1 July 1993|access-date=14 July 2006|archive-date=30 January 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130130211028/http://www.grandprix.com/ft/ft00150.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> Prost won on his debut for the team in [[1993 South African Grand Prix|South Africa]] and, like Mansell, dominated the weekend, taking pole position and finishing a minute ahead of [[Ayrton Senna|Senna]], who was second. The next Grand Prix in [[1993 Brazilian Grand Prix|Brazil]] saw Prost collide with Christian Fittipaldi's Minardi in the rain on lap 29, while Hill went on to his first podium finish: second, 16 seconds behind Senna. Prost won three of the next four Grands Prix for Williams, Senna winning the other race. Prost and Hill later scored a 1–2 in [[1993 French Grand Prix|France]]: the only 1–2 of the season for Williams. Prost won the next two Grands Prix at [[1993 British Grand Prix|Silverstone]] and [[1993 German Grand Prix|Hockenheim]]. Hill proved competitive especially in the second half of the season. Mechanical problems cost Hill leads in Britain and Germany, but he went on to win the next three Grands Prix at [[1993 Hungarian Grand Prix|Hungary]], [[1993 Belgian Grand Prix|Belgium]] and [[1993 Italian Grand Prix|Italy]] which moved him to second in the standings, as well as giving him a chance of taking the Drivers' title. After Italy, Williams would not win a Grand Prix for the rest of the season, as a young [[Michael Schumacher]] won the following race in [[1993 Portuguese Grand Prix|Portugal]], and Senna took [[1993 Japanese Grand Prix|Japan]] and [[1993 Australian Grand Prix|Australia]] to overtake Hill in the points. Williams retained their Constructors' title, 84 points ahead of second-placed McLaren. Prost clinched the Drivers' Championship in Portugal and finished the season 26 points ahead of second-placed Senna.

Based on his victory in the 1992 World Championship, Mansell would have been issued car number 1 for the 1993 season, and his teammate issued number 2. However, Mansell's move to the IndyCar series meant that number 1 was not issued; instead, the team was issued the number 0, which was placed on Hill's car, while Prost was issued number 2.

1993 marked the final season that Williams ran with Canon as its primary backer.

====1994 season====
[[File:Williams FW16.jpg|thumb|[[Williams FW16]]B used in the second half of the 1994 season when [[Rothmans International|Rothmans]] debuted as the team's primary backer]]
During the {{F1|1994}} season, Williams used FW16 (developed during the pre-season) and FW16B (with shorter sidepods and optimised for the revised floor regulations which were introduced during the season).

After Canon left the team Williams signed a contract with tobacco company [[Rothmans International]] for {{F1|1994}}, and their namesake brand became its primary sponsor from 1994 to {{F1|1997}}.<ref>{{cite web|last=Manishin|first=Glenn|title=After Tamburello|url=http://f1-grandprix.com/?page_id=1796|work=F1-Grandprix.com|access-date=13 June 2006}}</ref>

Despite Prost's continued unwillingness to have his former McLaren teammate run with him, pressure from various sources including the team's new sponsor led Williams to agree to terms with Ayrton Senna for 1994. The veto power in Prost's contract was only in effect for the 1993 season, and since Williams was now free to do as it desired and that Senna was again a free agent, the team decided it would bring in the multi-time former champion. To appease Prost, who decided to retire from racing permanently after Senna's signing, Williams agreed to pay him his full salary for the second half of the contract.

Given this was the same team that had won the previous two World Championships with vastly superior cars, Senna was a natural and presumptive pre-season title favourite, with second-year driver [[Damon Hill]] intended to play the supporting role. Between them, Prost, Senna, and Hill had won every race in 1993 but one, which was taken by Benetton's [[Michael Schumacher]].

As with 1993, Williams's cars were issued numbers 0 and 2, following Prost's victory in the 1993 championship and subsequent retirement.  Hill retained the number 0, while Senna's car was issued number 2.

Pre-season testing showed the [[Williams FW16|FW16]] had speed but was difficult to drive. The [[Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile]] (FIA) had banned electronic driver's aids, such as [[active suspension]], [[traction control system|traction control]] and [[anti-lock braking system|ABS]], to make the sport more "human". It was these technological advancements that the Williams chassis of the previous years had been built around. With their removal in 1994, Williams had not been a good-handling car, as observed by other F1 drivers, having been seen to be very loose at the rear. Senna himself had made numerous comments that the [[Williams FW16]] had quirks that needed to be ironed out. It was obvious that the FW16, after the regulation changes banning active suspension and traction control, exhibited none of the superiority of the [[Williams FW15C|FW15C]] and [[Williams FW14]]B cars that had preceded it. The surprise of testing was [[Benetton Formula|Benetton]]-[[Ford Motor Company|Ford]] which was less powerful but more nimble than the Williams.

The first four rounds were won by [[Michael Schumacher]] in the [[Benetton Formula|Benetton]]-[[Ford Motor Company|Ford]]. Senna took pole in the first two races but failed to finish either of them. In the third race, the [[1994 San Marino Grand Prix]] in Imola, Senna again took pole position, but was involved in [[death of Ayrton Senna|a fatal crash]] at the second corner after completing six laps.<ref>{{cite news|title=1994: Formula One's 'blackest day'|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/witness/may/1/newsid_2951000/2951011.stm|work=BBC News |access-date=13 July 2006|date=1 May 1994}}</ref> The repercussions of Senna's fatal accident were severe for the team itself, as the Italian prosecutors tried to charge the team and [[Frank Williams (Formula One)|Frank Williams]] with manslaughter, an episode which was not over until 2005.<ref>{{cite news|title=Top designers acquitted on Senna|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/4587195.stm|work=BBC News |date=27 May 2005|access-date=13 July 2007}}</ref> At the next race in [[1994 Monaco Grand Prix|Monaco]], [[Damon Hill]] was the only Williams on the grid, as a mark of respect to Senna,<ref>[http://www.williamsf1.com/racing/about/our-history 'WilliamsF1.com > Seasons > 1994] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150509134229/http://www.williamsf1.com/racing/about/our-history |date=9 May 2015 }}. Retrieved 14 July 2006.</ref> and retired on the first lap. After Senna's death, every Williams F1 car carried a Senna 's' on its livery in his honour and to symbolise the team's ongoing support of the [[Instituto Ayrton Senna]] until the permanent removal starting in 2022, with then Williams CEO [[Jost Capito]] stating it was time to "move on".<ref>{{Cite web|date=15 February 2022|title=Why 'Senna S' is absent from Williams' latest F1 car|url=https://www.crash.net/f1/news/996488/1/why-senna-s-absent-williams-latest-f1-car|access-date=25 February 2022|website=Crash|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last1=Cleeren|first1=Filip|last2=Noble|first2=Jonathan|date=15 February 2022|title=Williams explains decision to remove Senna S logo from 2022 F1 car|url=https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/williams-explains-decision-to-remove-senna-s-logo-from-2022-f1-car/8196680/|access-date=25 February 2022|website=www.motorsport.com|language=en}}</ref>

At the next race in [[1994 Spanish Grand Prix|Spain]], Williams brought in test driver [[David Coulthard]] as Hill's new teammate. Hill took the team's first victory of the season, by almost half a minute over [[Michael Schumacher|Schumacher's]] [[Benetton Formula|Benetton]], while Coulthard would retire due to an electrical problem. In [[1994 Canadian Grand Prix|Montreal]], both Williams cars finished in the points for the first time that season, with Hill finishing second and Coulthard finishing fifth. In France, Nigel Mansell replaced Coulthard (in the first of four appearances), at the behest of Renault. At Silverstone, Damon Hill accomplished what had eluded his father, twice Formula One World Champion [[Graham Hill]], by winning the [[1994 British Grand Prix|British Grand Prix]]. Hill closed the points gap with Schumacher, who was disqualified from first at [[1994 Belgian Grand Prix|Spa]] after the Stewards found floorboard irregularities on his Benetton. He was banned for the next two races, and Hill capitalised on this with wins in [[1994 Italian Grand Prix|Italy]] and a Williams 1–2 in [[1994 Portuguese Grand Prix|Portugal]].

With three races left, 1992 champion [[Nigel Mansell]] returned from CART (where the season had concluded) to replace Coulthard for the remainder of the season. Mansell would get approximately £900,000 ''per race'', while Hill was paid £300,000 for the entire season, though Hill remained as lead driver.<ref>{{cite book|last=Hamilton|first=Maurice|title=Frank Williams|year=1998|publisher=Macmillan|page=244|isbn=0-333-71716-3}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://atlasf1.autosport.com/99/fra/preview/horton.html|title=Reflections on a Racing Rivalry|first=Roger|last=Horton|work=Atlas Autosport|publisher=Kaizar|access-date=1 October 2010}}</ref>

Schumacher came back after his suspension for the [[1994 European Grand Prix|European Grand Prix]], which he won by about 25 seconds, to take a lead of 5 points into the penultimate round in [[1994 Japanese Grand Prix|Japan]]. The race in Japan was held in torrential rain, with Hill managing to win the restarted race by three seconds on aggregate over Schumacher who finished second. Going into the final round at [[1994 Australian Grand Prix|Adelaide]], Schumacher led Hill by a single point. Mansell took pole for Williams but had a poor start which let Hill and Schumacher through to fight for the lead and the 1994 title. Midway through the race, Schumacher's perceived need for a low downforce setup cost him, as he lost control and clipped the outside wall at the 5th corner (out of sight of Hill). As Schumacher recovered, Hill came around the corner and attempted to overtake into the next corner. Schumacher turned in and the resulting contact (Schumacher in the wall and Hill retiring with bent suspension) meant that Schumacher was the champion. This collision has been controversial with some, such as Williams's [[Patrick Head]], have suggesting that this was a deliberate attempt by Schumacher to take Hill out of the race.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20071013164119/http://motoring.iafrica.com/formulaone/561093.htm 'Ruthless' Schumi blasted]. Retrieved 2 August 2006.</ref> Others, such as then BBC commentator Murray Walker, defended Schumacher, calling the accident a "racing incident". Meanwhile, Nigel Mansell won the last Grand Prix of his career here, driving the second Williams car.

Williams would end the season as Constructors' Champion for the third consecutive year, scoring 118 points, while Hill finished second in the Drivers' Championship with 91 points.

====1995 season====
[[File:Damon Hill 1995-2.jpg|thumb|left|[[Damon Hill]] in the FW17 at [[1995 Canadian Grand Prix|Montreal]] in 1995 when he qualified second but retired after 50 race laps due to a gearbox problem]]

In {{F1|1995}}, [[Nigel Mansell]] was not retained, Williams favouring [[David Coulthard|Coulthard]] over him to partner [[Damon Hill|Hill]]. [[Michael Schumacher|Schumacher]], whose Benetton team had switched engine suppliers from Ford to Renault in the off-season, won the first round in [[1995 Brazilian Grand Prix|Brazil]], with Coulthard taking second. However, both were disqualified from the race after it was found that [[Elf Aquitaine|Elf]] supplied their teams with a type of fuel for which samples had not been provided to the [[Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile|FIA]]. Thus, [[Gerhard Berger]] and Ferrari were declared winners. Schumacher and Coulthard had their positions reinstated after appeal, though Benetton and Williams were not awarded their Constructors' points. Hill won the next two races in [[1995 Argentine Grand Prix|Argentina]] and [[1995 San Marino Grand Prix|San Marino]] and would later win races at [[1995 Hungarian Grand Prix|The Hungaroring]] and in [[1995 Australian Grand Prix|Adelaide]]. Hill won two laps ahead of the field at Adelaide in one of F1's most dominating victories. Coulthard recorded his only 1995 win for the Williams team at [[1995 Portuguese Grand Prix|Estoril]], before moving to McLaren.

Williams's champion streak was ended by [[Benetton Formula|Benetton]], who elected to switch engine suppliers from Ford to Renault, the same as Williams. As such, Benetton outscored Williams by 29 points in the Constructors' Championship. Damon Hill placed second in the Drivers' Championship, 33 points behind Benetton's Michael Schumacher.

====1996 season====
[[File:Jacques Villeneuve 1996.jpg|thumb|Jacques Villeneuve in the FW18 at the [[1996 Canadian Grand Prix]]]]
For {{F1|1996}}, Williams had the quickest and most reliable car, the [[Williams FW18|FW18]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.grandprix.com/ft/ft00244.html|title=Review of the year 1996|first=Joe|last=Saward|date=2 December 1996|access-date=1 October 2010|publisher=GrandPrix.com|archive-date=9 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160409175501/http://www.grandprix.com/ft/ft00244.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> Coulthard had left Williams to join [[Mika Häkkinen]] at McLaren, and Williams replaced him with Canadian [[Jacques Villeneuve]], who had won the [[Champ Car|CART]] series title in 1995, while [[Damon Hill|Hill]] remained with the team. [[Michael Schumacher|Schumacher]] left [[Benetton Formula|Benetton]] to join [[Scuderia Ferrari|Ferrari]]. Williams won the first five Grands Prix, Hill winning all but one of them. [[Olivier Panis]] would take victory at the sixth round in [[1996 Monaco Grand Prix|Monaco]] after both Williams cars retired. Hill would retire for the second time in a row after he spun-off in [[1996 Spanish Grand Prix|Spain]], while his teammate, Villeneuve, took third place. Hill and Villeneuve dominated the next Grand Prix in [[1996 Canadian Grand Prix|Canada]], with a 1–2 in qualifying and a 1–2 finish. Williams made it a second 1–2 after Hill won the [[1996 French Grand Prix|French Grand Prix]]. Villeneuve won his second race in F1 at [[1996 British Grand Prix|Silverstone]] after Hill retired with a wheel bearing failure on lap 26. Hill was victorious in the next Grand Prix in [[1996 German Grand Prix|Germany]] while Villeneuve won the race after that in [[1996 Hungarian Grand Prix|Hungary]]. Schumacher's Ferrari would then take the next two Grands Prix at [[1996 Belgian Grand Prix|Spa-Francorchamps]] and [[1996 Italian Grand Prix|Monza]]. Villeneuve mounted a title challenge going into the final race of the season at [[1996 Japanese Grand Prix|Japan]], but Hill reasserted his dominance to take the race and the 1996 title, while Villeneuve lost a wheel and retired.

Williams's dominance was such that they had clinched the Constructors' Championship and only their drivers had a mathematical chance of taking the title, several races before the season concluded. Around that time, [[Frank Williams (Formula One)|Frank Williams]] announced that Hill would not be re-signed after his contract expired, despite Hill's successes and eventual Drivers' Championship, so he joined [[Arrows (F1)|Arrows]] for 1997. [[Adrian Newey]] had ambitions as a technical director (rather than just chief designer), but this was not possible at Williams, as [[Patrick Head]] was a founder and shareholder of the team. McLaren lured Newey away, though he was forced to take [[garden leave]] for the majority of 1997.

In the middle of the 1996 season, Williams moved from its longtime [[Didcot]] headquarters to [[Grove, Oxfordshire|Grove]], 15 kilometers away.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-09-14 |title=Moving the Factory from Didcot to Grove |url=https://www.williamsdb.com/moving-factory-didcot-grove/ |access-date=2024-10-21 |website=The Williams Grand Prix Database |language=en-GB}}</ref> Before the move, the racing press occasionally referred to Williams as "the Didcot team."<ref>{{Cite web |date=1995-07-24 |title=Has Schumacher signed for Ferrari? |url=https://www.grandprix.com/news/has-schumacher-signed-for-ferrari.html |access-date=2024-10-21 |website=www.grandprix.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Cooper |first=Adam |date=2014-07-07 |title=The Domination Game: How Mansell and Williams made 1992 their own |url=https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/july-2002/30/the-domination-game/ |access-date=2024-10-21 |website=Motor Sport Magazine |language=en-GB}}</ref>

====1997 season====
For what would be the final season of Williams-Renault and a car designed with Newey's input, [[Frank Williams (Formula One)|Frank Williams]] brought in German [[Heinz-Harald Frentzen]], who had created a good impression on Williams during his first few seasons in Formula One. Frentzen proved to be a disappointment though, and won only one race in two years with Williams, the [[1997 San Marino Grand Prix]]. [[Jacques Villeneuve]] won seven races during 1997, compared to five wins by his main rival, [[Michael Schumacher]] of a resurgent Ferrari. Williams also achieved the 100-race-win milestone at the [[1997 British Grand Prix|British Grand Prix]]. Coming to the final round of the season at [[1997 European Grand Prix|Jerez]], Schumacher led Villeneuve by 1 point; however, on lap 48, Schumacher and Villeneuve collided. Schumacher was disqualified from second place in the championship as the accident was deemed by the FIA as "avoidable". Williams won the Constructors' title for the second time in a row, scoring 123 points. Jacques Villeneuve won the Drivers' Championship by three points to Michael Schumacher, who kept his points total despite being removed from second place; thus, runner-up went to Frentzen with 42 points.<ref>{{cite web|last=Saward|first=Joe|title=Review of the year 1997|url=http://www.grandprix.com/ft/ft00278.html|publisher=GrandPrix.com|date=1 November 1997|access-date=9 June 2012|archive-date=30 January 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130130200853/http://www.grandprix.com/ft/ft00278.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Mecachrome engines (1998)===
====1998 season====
[[File:Jacques Villeneuve 1998 Italy.jpg|thumb|[[Jacques Villeneuve]] in the FW20 at the [[1998 Italian Grand Prix]]]]

After 1997, the team was unable to maintain their dominance in Formula 1 as Renault ended their full-time involvement in Formula 1, and [[Adrian Newey]] moved to the rival team, McLaren. Williams then had to pay for [[Mecachrome]] engines, which were old, rebadged [[Renault F1]] engines.<ref>{{cite web|last=Saward|first=Joe|title=Mecachrome|url=http://www.grandprix.com/ft/ft00283.html|publisher=GrandPrix.com|date=1 January 1998|access-date=14 July 2006|archive-date=30 January 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130130201521/http://www.grandprix.com/ft/ft00283.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> This meant that the FW20 not only featured a very similar aerodynamic package to their 1997 car but also virtually the same engine, leading some to comment that they ran what was virtually the same car, adjusted for the 1998 regulations. There were changes on the sponsorship front, as Rothmans opted to promote their [[Winfield (cigarette)|Winfield]] brand, replacing the popular blue and white livery with a red one.<ref>{{cite web|last=Saward|first=Joe|title=Williams FW20|url=http://www.grandprix.com/ft/ft00284.html|publisher=GrandPrix.com|date=28 January 1998|access-date=14 July 2006|archive-date=30 January 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130130210516/http://www.grandprix.com/ft/ft00284.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> For {{F1|1998}}, Williams kept both drivers from the previous season, the first time since {{F1|1983}} that a reigning world champion remained driving for the team. While Ferrari and McLaren battled for the Constructors' and Drivers' titles, Williams fell to the middle of the field. The team won no races and took only 3 podiums during the season, with Frentzen finishing in third at the first round in [[1998 Australian Grand Prix|Australia]] and Villeneuve finishing third in [[1998 German Grand Prix|Germany]] and [[1998 Hungarian Grand Prix|Hungary]]. Williams finished third in the Constructors' Championship, scoring 38 points, while Villeneuve finished fifth in the Drivers' Championship with 21 points, and his German teammate, Frentzen, finished 4 points behind him in seventh.

===Supertec engines (1999)===
====1999 season====
{{Unreferenced section|date=September 2020}}
[[File:Alex Zanardi 1999 Canada.jpg|thumb|left|[[Alex Zanardi|Alessandro Zanardi]] in the FW21 at the [[1999 Canadian Grand Prix]]]]

In {{F1|1999}}, Williams employed the [[Supertec]] engine, which was a rebadged Mecachrome-Renault unit, and a new driver line-up. [[Jacques Villeneuve|Villeneuve]] moved to the new [[British American Racing]] (BAR) team, while [[Heinz-Harald Frentzen|Frentzen]] moved to [[Jordan Grand Prix|Jordan]] trading places with fellow German [[Ralf Schumacher]] who joined Williams.  To replace Villeneuve, Williams signed Italian [[Alex Zanardi]], who after an unsuccessful F1 career in the early 1990s had been racing in the CART series for [[Chip Ganassi Racing]], winning two series championships and a total of fifteen races in his three years. As with Schumacher, a driver trade was made with Ganassi, where Zanardi would join Williams and the team's test driver at the time, [[Juan Pablo Montoya]], would join CART in Zanardi's car for 1999 and 2000.

The team managed three podiums, all scored by Ralf Schumacher, with third place in [[1999 Australian Grand Prix|Australia]] and [[1999 British Grand Prix|Britain]] and a second place in [[1999 Italian Grand Prix|Italy]]. Zanardi, meanwhile, struggled through the entire season and failed to finish in the points at any race. Due in large part to this, the team finished fifth in the Constructors' Championship, the lowest finish for Williams in the 1990s; the team finished behind [[Stewart Grand Prix|Stewart]] and [[Jordan Grand Prix|Jordan]], with Schumacher scoring all of the team's 35 points.

After the season, deciding the relationship was not working, Zanardi's contract with the team was terminated by mutual agreement. He would eventually return to CART in 2001.

===BMW engines (2000–2005)===
{{main|BMW in Formula One}}
[[File:BMW Williams logo.png|thumb|Team logo during partnership with [[BMW]]]]
In 1998, the team signed a long-term agreement with German manufacturer [[BMW]] to supply engines and expertise for a period of 6 years. As part of the deal, BMW expected at least one driver to be German, which led to the team's signing of Ralf Schumacher for the subsequent season. In 1999, the team had a Williams car with a BMW engine testing at circuits, in preparation for a debut in the {{F1|2000}} season.

There were major sponsorship changes for 2000–2005, as Rothmans International had been purchased in 1999 by [[British American Tobacco]] (BAT), which owned [[British American Racing]] and chose not to renew Rothmans's contract with Williams. BMW paid for Williams cars to be entirely in blue and white – unlike the standard motorsport livery scheme, dominated by the colours of the team or major sponsors with the logos of minor sponsors in their own colour schemes. Williams's second major sponsor became [[Compaq]], and following Compaq's acquisition the team debuted [[Hewlett-Packard]] (HP) sponsorship at the [[2002 British Grand Prix]]. In a cross-promotion of this technological partnership, a worldwide television commercial featured drivers [[Ralf Schumacher]] and [[Juan Pablo Montoya]] seemingly driving their BMW Williams cars around a track by radio control from a grandstand.<ref>[http://www.visit4info.com/details.cfm?adid=9340 ''Hewlett-Packard Corporate- HP Technology and BMW Williams F1 Team'']. Retrieved 19 July 2006.</ref>

The new "clean" image allowed Williams to sign a cigarette anti-craving brand, [[Niquitin]],<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20070927173837/http://gsk.com/ControllerServlet?appId=4&pageId=402&newsid=158 ''GlaxoSmithKline'']. Retrieved 19 July 2006.</ref> and [[Anheuser-Busch]], alternating with the [[Budweiser]] beer brand<ref>[http://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/anheuser-busch-inc-budweiser-sponsors-bmw-williamsf1-team-154336085.html ''Anheuser-Busch, Inc.: Budweiser sponsors BMW WilliamsF1 Team'']. Retrieved 19 July 2006.</ref> and [[SeaWorld]] Adventure Parks,<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20060322062113/http://www.anheuser-busch.com/news/SW_BMW_GrandPrix063005.htm ''SeaWorld Adventure Parks To Be Featured With BMW WilliamsF1 Team'']. Retrieved 19 July 2006.</ref> in compliance with trademark disputes or alcohol bans.

====2000 season====
To replace Zanardi, Britain's [[Jenson Button]] made his series debut. The first season of Williams's partnership with BMW did not yield a single victory, but they managed to get on the podium three times, with [[Ralf Schumacher]] responsible for all three. Williams finished third in the Constructors' Championship, with 36 points, one more than the prior year. [[Ralf Schumacher]] finished fifth in the Drivers' Championship, while Button, in his debut season, finished in eighth. Button made scrappy mistakes in early races (Monaco, Europe), but overall made an impressive debut in Melbourne, and continued to impress, notably at Silverstone, Spa, and Suzuka.

====2001 season====
[[File:Ralf Schumacher 2001 Canada.jpg|thumb|left|Williams returned to the winner's rostrum in {{F1|2001}} with four Grands Prix victories including one for [[Ralf Schumacher]] in [[2001 Canadian Grand Prix|Montreal]].]]
In {{F1|2001}}, the arrangement between Williams and Ganassi came to an end, and thus Williams was able to bring [[Juan Pablo Montoya]] back to drive full-time for the team. He was returning after two successful years in CART, where he succeeded Zanardi as champion for 1999 and won ten races total; he also had become the first CART driver since the infamous 1996 split of American open-wheel racing to win the Indianapolis 500, doing so in 2000.

Since Montoya was returning to Williams, this left Jenson Button as the odd man out. He would move over to [[Benetton Formula|Benetton]], which was still running rebadged Renault engines, for what was the team's final season under that name.

The [[Williams FW23|FW23]] won four races, three by [[Ralf Schumacher]] at [[2001 San Marino Grand Prix|Imola]], [[2001 Canadian Grand Prix|Montreal]], and his home Grand Prix in [[2001 German Grand Prix|Germany]]. His teammate, Montoya, was victorious at [[2001 Italian Grand Prix|Monza]], and would have won a few more races if not for the FW23's unreliability and pit crew blunders. The car proved to be quicker than the Ferrari and McLaren counterparts in several races, but Williams's 2001 campaign only yielded third place in the Constructors' Championship.

====2002 season====
Williams maintained their driver line-up for the {{F1|2002}} season. The team only won one race, which was at [[2002 Malaysian Grand Prix|Malaysia]], one of only 2 races not won by Ferrari in a year dominated by the [[Ferrari F2002|Ferraris]] of [[Michael Schumacher]] and [[Rubens Barrichello]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Benson|first=Andrew|title=Schumacher paints F1 red|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/2282980.stm|work=BBC Sport|date=13 October 2002|access-date=13 July 2008}}</ref>  Despite Montoya qualifying on pole for 7 races, he ended up having a winless season. Williams did improve on their Constructors' Championship position, finishing in second. Montoya finished third in the Drivers' Championship, eight points ahead of Ralf Schumacher, who finished fourth.

In qualifying for the {{F1 GP|2002|Italian}} at the {{convert|5.793|km|3|abbr=on}} [[Autodromo Nazionale Monza|Monza]] circuit, Montoya lapped his [[Williams FW24]] in 1:20.264 for an average speed of {{convert|161.449|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}, breaking the speed record of {{convert|160.938|mph|km/h|abbr=on}} set by [[Keke Rosberg]] in a [[Honda F1|Honda]] turbo-powered [[Williams FW10]] at [[Silverstone Circuit|Silverstone]] for the [[1985 British Grand Prix]].

====2003 season====
[[File:Ralf Schumacher Indianapolis 2003.jpg|thumb|Schumacher in the [[Williams FW25|FW25]] at the [[2003 United States Grand Prix]] where he qualified fifth before retiring after 21 race laps]]
{{F1|2003}} would see Williams come closest to winning its first title since 1997. During pre-season, Frank Williams was very confident that the [[Williams FW25|FW25]] would challenge for the title.<ref>{{cite news|title=Williams launch new car|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/2712997.stm|work=BBC Sport|date=31 January 2003|access-date=13 July 2008}}</ref> The team won four races, with Montoya winning at [[2003 Monaco Grand Prix|Monaco]] and [[2003 German Grand Prix|Germany]], while Ralf Schumacher won at the [[2003 European Grand Prix|Nürburgring]] and the following race at [[2003 French Grand Prix|Magny-Cours]]. Montoya stayed in contention for the Drivers' Championship during the season, and finished third, 11 points behind [[Michael Schumacher]], while Ralf Schumacher finished fifth, 24 points behind Montoya. Williams finished second in the Constructors' Championship, two points ahead of McLaren.

====2004 season====
[[File:J p montoya usgp 2004.jpg|thumb|left|[[Juan Pablo Montoya]] in the "Walrus-Nose" designed [[Williams FW26]] during the [[2004 United States Grand Prix]] when he qualified fifth for the race but was disqualified for illegally using the spare car]]
At the start of the {{F1|2004}} season, it was announced that Montoya would be moving to McLaren in 2005. The team began the season with a radical nose-cone design, known as the "[[Walrus]]-Nose", that proved uncompetitive and was replaced by a more conventional assembly in [[2004 Hungarian Grand Prix|Hungary]]. [[Scuderia Ferrari|Ferrari]] dominated for a third consecutive season, winning 15 of the 18 races. Williams picked up a win at the final race in [[2004 Brazilian Grand Prix|Brazil]], with [[Juan Pablo Montoya]] finishing one second ahead of [[Kimi Räikkönen]]'s McLaren; this remained Williams's last F1 win until the [[2012 Spanish Grand Prix]]. Another low part of the season was when both Williams and [[Toyota Racing (Formula One team)|Toyota]] were disqualified from the [[2004 Canadian Grand Prix|Canadian Grand Prix]] after it was discovered that both cars had brake irregularities, the brake ducts seemingly not conforming to regulations.{{Citation needed|date=June 2012}} Williams finished the season in fourth, scoring 88 points and finishing on the podium six times, while Montoya was the highest-placed Williams driver that year, scoring 58 points to finish in fifth position.

====2005 season====
[[File:Heidfeld (Williams) in practice at USGP 2005.jpg|thumb|200px|[[Nick Heidfeld]] in the [[Williams FW27|FW27]] during practice for the [[2005 United States Grand Prix|2005 United States GP]]]]
For the {{F1|2005}} season, [[Ralf Schumacher|Schumacher]] moved to [[Toyota Racing (Formula One team)|Toyota]], while [[Juan Pablo Montoya|Montoya]] moved to McLaren. Taking their places were Australian [[Mark Webber (racing driver)|Mark Webber]] and German [[Nick Heidfeld]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Webber signs to BMW WilliamsF1|url=http://www.castrol.com/castrol/genericarticle.do?categoryId=9000062&contentId=7000426|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120208011946/http://www.castrol.com/castrol/genericarticle.do?categoryId=9000062&contentId=7000426 |archive-date=8 February 2012|work=Castrol|date=28 July 2004|access-date=13 July 2006}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=BMW sign Heidfeld for new F1 team|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/4251472.stm|work=BBC Sport|date=16 September 2005|access-date=13 July 2006}}</ref> [[Jenson Button]] was to have driven for Williams in 2005,<ref>{{cite news|title=Williams firm on Button|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/3541856.stm|work=BBC Sport|date=6 August 2004|access-date=9 June 2009}}</ref> but an [[Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile|FIA]] ruling forced Button to remain with his current team, [[British American Racing|BAR]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Williams: BAR can have Button but...|url=http://www.crash.net/f1/news/53476/1/williams_bar_can_have_button_but.html|work=Crash.net|publisher=Crash Media Group|date=29 August 2005|access-date=9 June 2009}}</ref> [[Antônio Pizzonia]] served as the test driver for the team during the 2005 season. Meanwhile, Button signed a contract to drive for Williams in 2006.

Although there was some positive moments, such as a double podium finish in Monaco and Heidfeld qualifying on pole position at the Nürburgring, Williams slipped further back down the field in 2005, due in part to the return to form of rivals McLaren and the emergence of Toyota as a front-running team. Williams failed to win a race for the first time since 2000, and only registered four podium finishes over the course of the season, finishing fifth in the constructors' championship with 66 points. Heidfeld was replaced by Pizzonia for the last five races of the season after the former suffered firstly a testing accident, and then was hit by a motorbike when out cycling prior to the race in Brazil. Pizzonia could only contribute two points towards the team's tally.

During the course of the 2004 and 2005 F1 seasons, [[BMW Motorsport]] and director [[Mario Theissen]] increasingly became publicly critical of the Williams F1 team's inability to create a package capable of winning the Constructors' Championship, or even multiple victories within a single season.<ref>{{cite news|title=BMW: Williams must improve|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/3036349.stm|work=BBC Sport|date=18 May 2003|access-date=8 June 2009}}</ref> Williams, on the other hand, blamed BMW for not producing a good enough engine.<ref>{{cite news|title=Williams criticises partner BMW|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/4075286.stm|work=BBC Sport|date=8 June 2005|access-date=9 June 2012}}</ref> Williams's failed attempt to prise [[Jenson Button]] out of his BAR contract may also have been an issue with Theissen. Despite [[Frank Williams (Formula One)|Frank Williams]]'s rare decision to capitulate to commercial demands by employing German driver [[Nick Heidfeld]] when he allegedly preferred [[Antônio Pizzonia]], the fallout between Williams and BMW continued through the 2005 Formula One season. Despite BMW's contract with Williams to supply engines until 2009, this public deterioration of the relationship between Williams and BMW was a factor in the decision by BMW Motorsport to buy [[Sauber]] and rebrand that team to feature the BMW name.<ref>{{cite news|title=BMW buys Sauber to form own team|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/4118472.stm|work=BBC Sport|date=22 June 2005|access-date=9 June 2012}}</ref>

===Cosworth engines (2006)===
====2006 season====
 [[File:Nico Rosberg Canada 2006.jpg|thumb|[[Nico Rosberg]] in the [[Williams FW28|FW28]]-Cosworth at the [[2006 Canadian Grand Prix]]]]
Williams opted for [[Cosworth]] V8 engines for the {{F1|2006}} which saw [[Nico Rosberg]] replace German [[Nick Heidfeld]], who departed for [[BMW Sauber]], while [[Mark Webber (racing driver)|Mark Webber]] stayed on with the team. Despite having signed a contract to race for Williams, [[Jenson Button]] decided to stay with [[British American Racing|BAR]] for 2006 as it was to become a Honda works team. In September 2005 a deal was reached to allow Button to remain with BAR, with Williams receiving around £24m, some of it paid by Button himself, to cancel this contract.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/motorsport/formula_one/4267520.stm|title=Button agrees deal to stay at BAR|date=21 September 2005|via=news.bbc.co.uk|access-date=18 September 2020}}</ref>

Williams and Cosworth entered a partnership agreement where Cosworth would supply engines, transmissions and associated electronics and software for the team.<ref>{{cite news|title=Williams turn to Cosworth engines|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/4153236.stm|work=BBC Sport|date=15 August 2005|access-date=9 June 2012}}</ref> Major sponsors Hewlett-Packard concluded sponsorship agreements one year before their official end of contract. The Williams team also switched to [[Bridgestone]] tyres.

The season started well, with both drivers scoring points in the opening race of the season, and Nico Rosberg setting the fastest lap at the [[2006 Bahrain Grand Prix|Bahrain Grand Prix]]. The rest of the season was disappointing for Williams, with 20 retirements out of 36 starts for the two cars. The team failed to finish on the podium all season, the first time this had happened since Williams's debut season in 1977. The team eventually finished eighth in the Constructors' Championship, with only 11 points.

===Customer Toyota engines (2007–2009)===
{{main|Toyota Racing (Formula One team)}}

====2007–2009 seasons====
[[File:Alex Wurz 2007 (crop).jpg|thumb|[[Alexander Wurz]] at the [[2007 Malaysian Grand Prix]]]]
[[File:Kazuki Nakajima 2008 Canada.jpg|thumb|[[Kazuki Nakajima]] at the [[2008 Canadian Grand Prix]]]]
[[File:Nico Rosberg 2009 Turkey.jpg|thumb|[[Nico Rosberg]] at the [[2009 Turkish Grand Prix]]]]

Following Williams's worst points tally since {{F1|1978}}, the team announced that Japanese manufacturer Toyota would be supplying the leased customer engines for the {{F1|2007}} season.<ref>{{cite news|title=Williams sign Toyota engine deal|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/5219520.stm|work=BBC Sport|date=27 July 2006|access-date=9 June 2012}}</ref> In addition, the Toyota engine customer deal also included [[Magneti Marelli]] Step 11 engine control unit (ECU) systems and [[Panasonic]] battery package as it was used by [[Toyota F1|works Toyota team]]. A number of other changes were announced for 2007: [[Alexander Wurz]], who had been a test driver at Williams since 2006, became the team's second driver to replace the outgoing Mark Webber; Japanese driver [[Kazuki Nakajima]], son of [[Satoru Nakajima|Satoru]], replaced Wurz as a test driver alongside Karthikeyan. Sponsorship saw a change in 2007, as it was announced that [[AT&T Inc.|AT&T]] would become the title sponsors for the team from the upcoming season.<ref>[http://www.f1network.net/main/s107/st106353.htm ''AT&T Title Sponsor for WilliamsF1'']. Retrieved 20 October 2006.</ref> AT&T was previously involved as minor sponsors with the [[Jaguar Racing|Jaguar]] and McLaren teams but moved to Williams following McLaren's announcement of a title sponsorship deal with [[Vodafone]], a competitor of AT&T.<ref>[http://newsonf1.net/2005/news/12/dec14mc.htm ''Vodafone will be McLaren's Title Sponsor'' ] 20 October 2006.</ref> On 2 February, the new FW29 was presented to the media in the UK. Soon afterwards, the team secured a sponsorship deal with [[Lenovo]] who built the team's new supercomputer.

Rosberg and Wurz gave Williams a more productive season in terms of points and, in [[2007 Canadian Grand Prix|Montreal]], Wurz scored the team's first podium finish since Nick Heidfeld's second-place at the [[2005 European Grand Prix]]. Over the course of the year, Rosberg was consistently in the points, scoring 20 during the season; in comparison, teammate Wurz finished in the points three times. Following the announcement that Wurz would be retiring from the sport,<ref>{{cite news|last=Elizalde|first=Pablo|title=Wurz confirms immediate retirement from F1|url=http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/63165|work=Autosport|publisher=Haymarket Media|date=8 October 2007|access-date=8 October 2007}}</ref> Williams brought in their young test driver Nakajima to drive the second car for them in the final race in [[2007 Brazilian Grand Prix|Brazil]]. The Japanese driver finished in tenth despite starting from near the back of the grid, while Rosberg enjoyed his best race of the season, finishing in fourth. Williams finished fourth in the Constructors' Championship that year.

For the {{F1|2008}} season, Williams confirmed Nico Rosberg and Kazuki Nakajima as their race drivers. Rosberg was confirmed as staying with Williams until the end of {{F1|2009}} on 9 December 2007, ending speculation that he could take [[Fernando Alonso]]'s vacated seat at McLaren.<ref>{{cite news|title=Rosberg agrees new Williams deal|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/7135142.stm|work=BBC News |date=9 December 2007|access-date=9 December 2007}}</ref> During the Winter testing sessions, the team ran six different liveries to celebrate their 30th year in the sport and their 500th Grand Prix.<ref>{{cite news|title=Williams to run six different liveries this winter|url=http://www.gpupdate.net/en/f1-news/177572/williams-to-run-six-different-liveries-this-winter/|publisher=GPUpdate.net|date=14 January 2008|access-date=1 February 2011}}</ref>

The 2008 season was a mixture of success and disappointment for Williams. While Rosberg managed to obtain 2 podiums in [[2008 Australian Grand Prix|Australia]] and [[2008 Singapore Grand Prix|Singapore]], the team struggled at circuits with high-speed corners. The fact that the team was one of the first to switch development to their 2009 car (when new regulations came in) also hindered their season and Williams finished a disappointing 8th in the Constructors' Championship. Rosberg stated that unless the team was more competitive in the near future, he would look to drive elsewhere. Williams retained Rosberg and Nakajima for the 2009 season.

Frank Williams had admitted that he had regretted parting with BMW but stated that Toyota had a tremendous ability to become a top engine supplier. Speculation had been surrounding Toyota's future on the Formula 1 grid. This was due to the fact that for a big-budget team, Toyota had only managed second place as their best result. In December 2008, Williams confirmed their commitment to F1 following the [[Honda in Formula One|Honda]] withdrawal announcement.<ref>{{cite news|title=Commitment to remain in F1|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/7771407.stm|work=BBC News |date=8 December 2008|access-date=8 December 2008}}</ref>

Ahead of the 2009 Brazilian Grand Prix, Williams announced that it would be ending its three-year partnership with Toyota and finding a new engine supplier for 2010.

===Return to Cosworth engines (2010–2011)===
====2010–2011 seasons====
[[File:Nico Hulkenberg 2010 Malaysia 2nd Free Practice.jpg|thumb|[[Nico Hülkenberg]] at the [[2010 Malaysian Grand Prix]]]]
After the termination of their Toyota contract, Williams announced that from the {{F1|2010}} season they were to enter into a "long-term partnership" with [[Cosworth]], and would be using an updated version of the CA V8 engine which powered their cars in 2006.<ref>{{cite web|title=Williams confirm Cosworth for 2010|url=http://www.racecar-engineering.com/articles/f1-2010-williams-fw32-cosworth/|date=30 October 2009|work=Racecar Engineering|access-date=2 November 2009}}</ref> Williams also announced a complete driver change for the 2010 season. [[Rubens Barrichello]] joined from 2009 Constructors' Champion [[Brawn GP]], whilst GP2 champion [[Nico Hülkenberg]] graduated from the test driver seat. Replacing Hülkenberg in the test seat was Finland's [[Valtteri Bottas]], who finished third in the [[2009 Formula Three Euroseries season|2009 Formula Three Euroseries]] as well as winning the non-championship [[2009 Masters of Formula 3|Masters of Formula 3]] event at [[Circuit Park Zandvoort|Zandvoort]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Williams signs Bottas as test driver|url=http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/81111|first=Matt|last=Beer|work=Autosport|publisher=[[Haymarket Media Group]]|date=29 January 2010|access-date=29 January 2010}}</ref>

Their new 2010 car, the [[Williams FW32]], was unveiled for the first time at a shakedown test at [[Silverstone Circuit|Silverstone]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/81104|title=Exclusive: First image of new Williams|date=28 January 2010|work=autosport.com|access-date=6 February 2016}}</ref> Its first official test was on 1 February at [[Circuit Ricardo Tormo]] in [[Valencia, Spain|Valencia]]. Hülkenberg took the team's first pole position in over five years, in variable conditions at the {{F1 GP|2010|Brazilian}}.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/motorsport/formula_one/9163670.stm|title=BBC Sport – F1 – Nico Hulkenberg takes Brazilian GP pole for Williams|work=BBC Sport|access-date=6 February 2016}}</ref> Hülkenberg was dropped from the team ahead of the {{F1|2011}} season, and replaced by Venezuelan newcomer and reigning [[2010 GP2 Series|GP2 Series]] champion [[Pastor Maldonado]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Williams sign Venezuelan Pastor Maldonado for 2011 F1 season|url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2010/dec/02/williams-pastor-maldonado-2011-f1-season|date=2 December 2010|access-date=3 February 2011|work=The Guardian |location=UK|agency=[[Press Association]]}}</ref> The combination of Barrichello and Maldonado meant that 2011 would be the first time since 1981 that Williams would start a season without a European driver in their line-up.

At the second pre-season test in Jerez, Barrichello posted the fastest time of the week on the last day. That was to no avail as Williams endured one of their worst seasons to date: two ninth places for Barrichello and one tenth place for Maldonado were their best results during the entire year. After Brazil, the team ended with a ninth place in the Constructors' Championship.

===Return to Renault engines (2012–2013)===
{{see also|Renault in Formula One}}

====2012–2013 seasons====
[[File:Valtteri Bottas 2012 Malaysia FP1 2.jpg|thumb|[[Valtteri Bottas]], the team's {{F1|2012}} reserve driver, participated in 15 free practice sessions including at the {{F1 GP|2012|Malaysian}} then was promoted to a race seat for the {{F1|2013}} season.|left]]
On 4 July 2011, Williams announced they would be reuniting with engine-supplier Renault who were to supply the team's engines from 2012 onwards.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.attwilliams.com/news/view/1859 |title=Williams Renault Legendary Partnership Revived for 2012 |work=[[AT&T Inc.|AT&T]] Williams |publisher=Williams F1 |date=4 July 2011 |access-date=4 July 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707100129/http://www.attwilliams.com/news/view/1859 |archive-date=7 July 2011 }}</ref> On 1 December 2011, it was confirmed that Maldonado would be retained for the 2012 season, along with reserve driver [[Valtteri Bottas]], who took part in 15 Friday practice sessions.<ref name="MAL & BOT">{{cite news|url=http://www.attwilliams.com/news/view/2028 |title=Pastor Maldonado Confirmed for 2012 with Valtteri Bottas as Reserve Driver |work=Williams F1 |publisher=Williams Grand Prix Engineering Limited |date=1 December 2011 |access-date=1 December 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111203214900/http://www.attwilliams.com/news/view/2028 |archive-date=3 December 2011 }}</ref> In January 2012, it was confirmed that Bruno Senna would be the driver to partner Maldonado, effectively ending Rubens Barrichello's F1 career.

[[File:Valtteri Bottas 2013 Malaysia FP1.jpg|thumb|[[Valtteri Bottas]] at the [[2013 Malaysian Grand Prix]]]]Prior to the 2012 season, Patrick Head moved from the Williams F1 team to Williams Hybrid Power Limited, another subsidiary of Williams Grand Prix Holdings.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.williamsf1.com/news/view/2035 |title=Patrick Head Steps Down from WGPH Board of Directors |work=Williams |publisher=Williams F1 |date=31 December 2011 |access-date=4 January 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120103215105/http://www.williamsf1.com/news/view/2035 |archive-date=3 January 2012 }}</ref> The team also announced that its relationship with AT&T ended by mutual agreement, and there were negotiations with another telecommunications company for team's title sponsorship.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-motor-racing-williams-idUKTRE8030OE20120104|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160101213918/http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-motor-racing-williams-idUKTRE8030OE20120104|url-status=dead|archive-date=1 January 2016|title=The Williams Formula One team are seeking a new title sponsor after the termination of their agreement with U.S. telecommunications giant AT&T|work=[[Reuters]]|publisher=[[Thomson Reuters]]|first=Alan|last=Baldwin|date=4 January 2012|access-date=4 January 2012}}</ref> At the [[2012 Spanish Grand Prix]], Pastor Maldonado took his only Grand Prix victory, which was also Williams's first race victory since [[2004 Brazilian Grand Prix]]. Around 90 minutes after celebrating this win, a fire broke out in the garage of the Williams team, damaging the FW34 of [[Bruno Senna]] and leaving several injured.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/motorsport/formulaone/9262938/Spanish-Grand-Prix-2012-Pastor-Maldonado-holds-off-Fernando-Alonso-to-claim-historic-win-for-Williams.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/motorsport/formulaone/9262938/Spanish-Grand-Prix-2012-Pastor-Maldonado-holds-off-Fernando-Alonso-to-claim-historic-win-for-Williams.html |archive-date=10 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Spanish Grand Prix 2012: Pastor Maldonado holds off Fernando Alonso to claim historic win for Williams|date=13 May 2012|work=Telegraph.co.uk|access-date=5 February 2016}}{{cbignore}}</ref> The team eventually achieved eighth position in the Formula One World Constructors' Championship.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://en.espn.co.uk/f1/motorsport/season/50767.html?template=standings|title=Formula 1 Drivers & Constructors Standings – FIA Formula One World Championship 2012 – ESPN.co.uk|work=ESPN UK|access-date=5 February 2016}}</ref>

[[Claire Williams]], the daughter of team principal Frank Williams, was appointed deputy principal in March 2013.<ref>{{cite web|title=Claire Williams becomes deputy principal|url=http://www.supersport.com/motorsport/formula1/news/130327/Claire_Williams_becomes_deputy_principal|website=Supersport.com|access-date=25 June 2015}}</ref> Maldonado was retained by the team for {{F1|2013}} and was joined by Bottas, promoted from his role as test driver.<ref name="2013 drivers">{{cite news|last=Elizalde|first=Pablo|title=Williams confirms Valtteri Bottas and Pastor Maldonado for 2013|publisher=[[Haymarket Group|Haymarket Publications]]|work=[[Autosport]]|url=http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/104630|date=28 November 2012|access-date=28 November 2012}}</ref> The team struggled throughout the season, despite a good qualifying session at the [[2013 Canadian Grand Prix|Canadian Grand Prix]] and a place in the top 10 at the [[2013 United States Grand Prix|United States Grand Prix]], scoring only five points in the World Constructors' Championship.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.formula1.com/content/fom-website/en/championship/teams/Williams.html |title=Teams & Drivers – Williams |publisher=Formula1.com |access-date=30 January 2015}}</ref>

While Williams enjoyed a victory in the 2012 season and occasional points finishes, they did not reach the same heights as was achieved during their domination of Formula One during the 1990s. This, combined with an absolutely dismal 2013 season, prompted Williams to look for a new engine supplier from the 2014 season onwards.

===Mercedes power units (2014–present)===
[[File:Williams Martini Racing logo.svg|thumb|The Williams Martini Racing logo (2014–2018)]]
[[File:Felipe Massa 2014 China Race.jpg|thumb|[[Felipe Massa]] at the [[2014 Chinese Grand Prix]]]]{{see also|Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains}}

====2014–2017 seasons====
[[File:Valtteri Bottas 070615.jpg|thumbnail|left|Valtteri Bottas at the [[2015 Canadian Grand Prix]]]] [[File:Lance Stroll 2017 Malaysia FP1.jpg|thumb|[[Lance Stroll]] at the [[2017 Malaysian Grand Prix]]|left]]
In May 2013, Williams signed a long-term contract with Mercedes to supply engines for the team, the German manufacturer providing 1.6-litre V6 turbo engines from the start of the 2014 season.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2013/5/14622.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130607180129/http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2013/5/14622.html |archive-date=7 June 2013|title=Williams move to Mercedes power for 2014|work=Formula1.com|publisher=[[Formula One Group|Formula One Administration]]|date=30 May 2013|access-date=13 December 2014}}</ref> Bottas was retained as driver for {{F1|2014}}, and [[Felipe Massa]] was signed from [[Scuderia Ferrari|Ferrari]] to replace Maldonado. The team also unveiled a new, multi-year title sponsorship deal with drinks brand [[Martini & Rossi|Martini]].

The team won its first pole position since 2012, courtesy of Massa at the {{F1 GP|2014|Austrian}}; it was the only time that [[Mercedes-Benz in Formula One|Mercedes]] would be beaten to pole position over the course of the 2014 season. With Bottas qualifying alongside Massa, it was also the first time the team had locked out the front row since the [[2003 German Grand Prix]].<ref>{{cite news|first=Paul|last=Weaver|url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2014/jun/21/felipe-massa-pole-austrian-gp-f1|title=Felipe Massa on pole at F1's Austrian GP as Lewis Hamilton spins|date=21 June 2014|access-date=13 December 2014|work=[[The Guardian]]}}</ref> The team enjoyed an upturn in performance, including a double podium in [[2014 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix|Abu Dhabi]], resulting in them taking third place in the Constructors' Championship. They repeated this feat in the {{F1|2015}} season, despite a low-key season owing to the resurgence of [[Scuderia Ferrari|Ferrari]].[[File:Valtteri Bottas 2016 Malaysia FP2.jpg|thumb|right |Valtteri Bottas at the [[2016 Malaysian Grand Prix]]]]
The team went into the {{F1|2016}} season with Bottas and Massa retained. Former [[Ferrari Driver Academy]] member [[Lance Stroll]] joined the team as a development driver; [[Alex Lynn]] became a reserve driver with [[Paul di Resta]] who was announced on 13 March,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/35795864 |title=Paul di Resta set to be named Williams reserve driver for 2016 season |work=BBC Sport |date=13 March 2016 |access-date=20 August 2016}}</ref> following [[Susie Wolff]]'s retirement from motorsport.<ref name="Stroll">{{cite news|last=Benson |first=Andrew |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/34793753 |title=Lance Stroll to test for Williams in 2016 |work=BBC Sport |date=11 November 2015 |access-date=6 December 2015}}</ref>

In September 2016, Massa announced his intentions to retire from Formula One, with Stroll later announced as his replacement for {{F1|2017}}.<ref name="Drivers 2017">{{cite web |url=http://www.williamsf1.com/racing/news/williamsconfirmsdriverlineupfor2017season |title=Williams confirms driver line-up for the 2017 season |publisher=Williams Grand Prix Engineering |date=3 November 2016 |access-date=3 November 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161103161549/http://www.williamsf1.com/racing/news/williamsconfirmsdriverlineupfor2017season |archive-date=3 November 2016 }}</ref> Following [[Nico Rosberg]]'s decision to retire, the team released Bottas from his contract to allow him to take his place at [[Mercedes-Benz in Formula One|Mercedes]], with Massa returning to the team on a one-year deal.<ref name="Massa">{{cite web|url=https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/headlines/2017/1/bottas-to-mercedes--massa-to-re-join-williams.html |title=Bottas to Mercedes, Massa to re-join Williams |work=Formula1.com |publisher=Formula One World Championship Ltd |date=16 January 2017 |access-date=16 January 2017}}</ref>

Massa was forced to withdraw from the [[2017 Hungarian Grand Prix]] due to illness; the team then announced that [[Paul di Resta]] would be racing alongside Stroll instead.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/40763096|title=Paul di Resta to replace unwell Felipe Massa in Hungary|date=29 July 2017|work=BBC Sport|access-date=5 November 2017|language=en-GB}}</ref>

====2018–2019: Continued decline====
On 4 November 2017, [[Felipe Massa]] announced his decision to retire from F1.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/41870426|title=Felipe Massa: Williams driver to retire at end of the season|date=4 November 2017|work=BBC Sport|access-date=5 November 2017|language=en-GB}}</ref> [[Renault in Formula One|Renault]] reserve driver and [[2016 GP2 Series]] 3rd-place finisher [[Sergey Sirotkin (racing driver)|Sergey Sirotkin]] was signed as his replacement for {{F1|2018}},<ref name="sir guy">{{cite web|last1=Barretto|first1=Lawrence|title=Sergey Sirotkin beats Robert Kubica to 2018 Williams F1 seat|url=https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/133914/sirotkin-announced-as-2018-williams-driver|website=autosport.com|access-date=16 January 2018|date=16 January 2018}}</ref> with [[Robert Kubica]] joining the team as a reserve and development driver.<ref name="Kubica">{{cite news|last1=Barretto|first1=Lawrence|title=Kubica named Williams' reserve driver|url=https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/kubica-named-williams-reserve-driver-996292/|access-date=16 January 2018|work=[[Motorsport.com]]|publisher=[[Motorsport Network]]|date=16 January 2018}}</ref>

[[File:2018 Chinese Grand Prix Qualifying Sergey Sirotkin (40812182175).jpg|thumb|right|[[Sergey Sirotkin (racing driver)|Sergey Sirotkin]] driving the [[Williams FW41]] at the [[2018 Chinese Grand Prix]]]]
Williams struggled over the course of the 2018 season, scoring only 7 points and finishing last in the Constructors' Championship standings. Although the [[Williams FW41|FW41]] rarely suffered from reliability issues, it was significantly off the pace; the team's highest finish was Stroll's 8th-place finish in [[2018 Azerbaijan Grand Prix|Azerbaijan]]. The team's only other points finish was at the {{F1 GP|2018|Italian}}, with Stroll finishing 9th and Sirotkin scoring his first championship point in 10th. This was also the only Grand Prix of the season in which the team reached the third qualifying session, with Stroll starting 10th on the grid.

[[File:FIA F1 Austria 2019 Nr. 63 Russell 2.jpg|thumb|[[George Russell (racing driver)|George Russell]] at the [[2019 Austrian Grand Prix]]|left]]On 27 February 2018, [[Martini & Rossi|Martini]] announced that they would leave Williams and Formula One at the end of the 2018 season.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Barretto|first1=Lawrence|title=Martini and Williams to end sponsorship deal|url=https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/martini-and-williams-to-end-sponsorship-deal-1009390/1393564/|access-date=27 February 2018|work=[[Motorsport.com]]|publisher=[[Motorsport Network]]|date=27 February 2018}}</ref>
On 12 October 2018, the team announced that reigning [[2018 Formula 2 Championship|Formula 2]] champion [[George Russell (racing driver)|George Russell]] would be joining the team for the {{F1|2019}} season. On 22 November 2018 it was announced that reserve driver [[Robert Kubica]] would be promoted to the other seat, marking his return to Formula One after eight years away from the sport due to injury.<ref>{{cite web|last=Collantine |first=Keith |url=https://www.racefans.net/2018/10/12/george-russell-handed-f1-debut-with-williams-in-2019/ |title=Russell handed F1 debut in place of Stroll at Williams for 2019 |publisher=RaceFans |date=12 October 2018 |access-date=12 October 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/46300009|title=Robert Kubica: Polish driver to make F1 comeback with Williams in 2019|date=22 November 2018|work=BBC Sport|access-date=22 November 2018|language=en-GB}}</ref> For the 2019 season, the team entered into a partnership with Polish petroleum company [[PKN Orlen]] and a multi-year title sponsorship arrangement with telecommunications company ROKiT.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.williamsf1.com/racing/news/2018/11/williams-martini-racing-and-pkn-orlen-announce-partnership|title=WILLIAMS MARTINI RACING and PKN ORLEN Announce Partnership|website=www.williamsf1.com|access-date=30 November 2018|archive-date=29 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181129183947/https://www.williamsf1.com/racing/news/2018/11/williams-martini-racing-and-pkn-orlen-announce-partnership|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.williamsf1.com/racing/news/2019/02/rokit-enters-formula-one-as-title-partner-of-williams-racing |title=ROKiT Enters Formula One as Title Partner of Williams Racing |publisher=Williams Racing |date=11 February 2019 |access-date=11 February 2019 |archive-date=12 February 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190212011732/https://www.williamsf1.com/racing/news/2019/02/rokit-enters-formula-one-as-title-partner-of-williams-racing |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Williams missed the first two-and-a-half days of pre-season testing in [[Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya|Barcelona]] due to the [[Williams FW42|FW42]] not yet being ready, the only team to suffer such a setback.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/47308080|title=Formula 1 testing 2019: Williams describe delayed start to testing as 'embarrassing'|website=bbc.co.uk|date=20 February 2019|access-date=21 May 2020}}</ref> Williams began the season out of reach from being competitive. During qualifying at the season-opener in [[2019 Australian Grand Prix|Australia]], their fastest time was almost 1.3 seconds slower than the nearest competitor. In the race, Russell and Kubica finished two and three laps behind the leader respectively. The team's best result of the season came in [[2019 German Grand Prix|Germany]], where Kubica was classified 10th, the team's only points finish that season. However, this result only came after post-race penalties for other drivers. Upgrades came during the season with which the FW42 began to catch up to its competitors; Russell came within 0.1 seconds of reaching Q2 in qualifying for the {{F1 GP|2019|Hungarian}} and finished close to the points with 12th in [[2019 Brazilian Grand Prix|Brazil]]. However, both cars would be eliminated in Q1 at every race of the season. Despite the team's lack of performance in comparison to 2014–2017, it was confirmed that Williams have extended their engine supplier partnership with Mercedes until 2025.<ref name="auto">{{cite news |last1=Horton |first1=Phillip |title=Williams extends Mercedes F1 power unit deal through 2025 |url=https://motorsportweek.com/news/id/24415 |access-date=13 September 2019 |work=motorsportweek.com |publisher=Motorsport Media Services Ltd |date=13 September 2019 |archive-date=21 September 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190921211835/https://motorsportweek.com/news/id/24415 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

On 19 September 2019, Williams announced that Kubica had decided to leave the team at the end of the 2019 season; he would go on to join [[Alfa Romeo in Formula One|Alfa Romeo]] as a reserve driver.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.williamsf1.com/racing/news/2019/09/robert-kubica-to-leave-rokit-williams-racing-at-end-of-2019-season |title=Robert Kubica Decides To Leave ROKiT Williams Racing at End of 2019 Season |date=19 September 2019 |website=williamsf1.com |access-date=19 September 2019 |archive-date=20 September 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190920122248/https://www.williamsf1.com/racing/news/2019/09/robert-kubica-to-leave-rokit-williams-racing-at-end-of-2019-season |url-status=dead }}</ref> [[2019 Formula 2 Championship]] runner-up [[Nicholas Latifi]] was promoted from his role of reserve driver to replace Kubica for the {{F1|2020}} season.<ref name="Latifi">{{cite web|url=https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.latifi-to-williams-for-2020-f2-racer-replaces-kubica.3GkU6EaImKmzKt6qZU0eiF.html |title=Latifi to Williams for 2020: F2 racer replaces Kubica |website=formula1.com |publisher=Formula One World Championship Limited |date=28 November 2019 |access-date=28 November 2019}}</ref> [[Jack Aitken]] replaced Latifi as reserve driver.<ref name="Aitken">{{Cite web|url=https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.aitken-joins-williams-as-reserve-driver-after-leaving-renault.2rN9Odf4dbRtaWrq6YSh9t.html|title=Aitken joins Williams as reserve driver after leaving Renault|website=formula1.com|access-date=4 February 2020|date=4 February 2020}}</ref> In May 2020, following publication of significant losses in 2019, Williams announced the immediate termination of its title sponsorship deal with ROKiT.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.williams-could-sell-f1-team-as-board-announces-gbp13m-loss-in-2019-and-split.455wGjds3WOQf7gdSuqJRf.html |title=Williams could sell F1 team as board announces GBP13m loss in 2019 and split from title sponsor |website=formula1.com |publisher=Formula One World Championship Limited |date=29 May 2020 | access-date=29 May 2020}}</ref>[[File:George Russell Mugello 2020, race day.jpg|thumb| George Russell driving the [[Williams FW43]] at the [[2020 Tuscan Grand Prix]]|left]]

====2020–present: Buyout and new management====
In the opening race of 2020, the [[2020 Austrian Grand Prix]], Latifi reached 11th place, just outside the points, whereas in qualifying Russell was only 0.15 seconds away from reaching Q2 (Russell retired in the race with a fuel pressure issue). In the wet qualifying for the next race, the [[2020 Styrian Grand Prix|Styrian Grand Prix]], Russell succeeded in making it out of Q1, the first time a Williams driver had done so since the [[2018 Brazilian Grand Prix]],<ref>{{Cite web |date=11 July 2020 |title='It felt incredible' – Russell revels in starring debut Q2 appearance with Williams |url=https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.it-felt-incredible-russell-revels-in-starring-debut-q2-appearance-with.jxWso85EjBoOlWHptAM3V.html |access-date=12 September 2022 |website=Formula 1}}</ref> and, in the slippery conditions, qualified in 12th. Russell started the race in 11th, following the application of penalties for other drivers.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Standings|url=https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2020/races/1046/austria/starting-grid.html|access-date=24 January 2021|website=Formula 1® - The Official F1® Website|language=en}}</ref>

At the [[2020 Hungarian Grand Prix]], both drivers made it out of Q1 for the first time since the [[2018 Italian Grand Prix]]. It was Russell's second time getting out of Q1, and Latifi's first time getting out of Q1.

[[File:FIA F1 Austria 2021 Nr. 6 Latifi.jpg|thumb|[[Nicholas Latifi]] driving [[Williams FW43B]] at the [[2021 Austrian Grand Prix]]]]On 21 August 2020, Williams was acquired by US investment group Dorilton Capital for €152 million.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Williams Racing is acquired by Dorilton Capital|url=https://www.williamsf1.com/news/2020/08/williams-racing-is-acquired-by-dorilton-capital|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210407022258/https://www.williamsf1.com/News/2020/Team/Williams-Racing-is-acquired-by-Dorilton-Capital|archive-date=7 April 2021|access-date=21 August 2020|website=www.williamsf1.com|language=en}}</ref> The amount includes settling the debt of the company and it will continue to run under the Williams name and keep its UK base.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.ft.com/content/27ac34e1-22e2-4c35-a238-1e43fac7c356 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221210/https://www.ft.com/content/27ac34e1-22e2-4c35-a238-1e43fac7c356 |archive-date=10 December 2022 |url-status=live|title= Williams F1 team sold to US investors to secure financial future |work=Financial Times|author=Murad Ahmed, Samuel Agini|date=21 August 2020|access-date=21 August 2020|url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|publisher=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/53860010|title=Williams F1 team bought by investment firm Dorilton Capital|date=21 August 2020|access-date=24 August 2020}}</ref>

Despite being offered the chance to stay on as Team Principal, [[Claire Williams]] announced her departure from the team effective after the weekend of the [[2020 Italian Grand Prix]]. Following this announcement, it will be the first time Williams F1 Team has not been under the leadership of the Williams family since its inception 43 years prior. [[Simon Roberts (Formula One)|Simon Roberts]], who joined Williams from [[McLaren]] in May 2020, became the acting team principal of the team.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Williams appoint Simon Roberts as Acting Team Principal|url=https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.breaking-williams-appoint-simon-roberts-as-acting-team-principal.4AqltrK58TiwSRYTQi1lOe.html|website=www.formula1.com}}</ref> In December 2020, Williams announced [[Jost Capito]] will be joining Williams as the new CEO, with Roberts becoming team principal and reporting to Capito.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.breaking-williams-name-former-mclaren-boss-jost-capito-as-new-ceo.6JjTpxUUTVBIE2wMO67DxZ.html|title=Williams name former McLaren boss Jost Capito as new CEO|website=www.formula1.com|access-date=19 December 2020}}</ref> Williams failed to score a point in the 2020 season that had been disrupted and shortened by the [[COVID-19 pandemic]], making it their first pointless season in 44 years.
[[File:2022 Williams FW44 Formula 1 Car. Driven by Alex Albon and Nicholas Latifi (52339096754).jpg|left|thumb|The [[Williams FW44]] at '[[Silverstone Classic|The Silverstone Classic]]'. This car was driven in the {{F1|2022}} season by [[Alexander Albon]], [[Nicholas Latifi]] and [[Nyck de Vries]].]]
During the [[2021 Monaco Grand Prix]], Williams celebrated their 750th Grand Prix start. To celebrate the occasion, Williams launched a competition where the names of 100 Williams supporters were featured on their car, the [[Williams FW43|Williams FW43B]], together with the number of races since they started supporting Williams.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Williams Race Calculator|url=https://www.williamsf1.com/race-calculator|access-date=10 May 2021|website=www.williamsf1.com|language=en|archive-date=10 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210510192903/https://www.williamsf1.com/race-calculator|url-status=dead}}</ref> In June 2021, Roberts left the team. Most of his responsibilities were taken over by Capito, with [[François-Xavier Demaison (engineer)|François-Xavier Demaison]] taking his trackside leadership duties.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Simon Roberts to leave Williams, with CEO Jost Capito taking on Team Principal role|url=https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.breaking-roberts-to-leave-williams-with-ceo-capito-taking-on-team-principal.72PccmaW3c7oSzx2dRaG4k.html|access-date=10 June 2021|website=www.formula1.com|language=en}}</ref> The [[2021 Hungarian Grand Prix]] saw Williams score their first points since the [[2019 German Grand Prix]] with [[Robert Kubica]], and their first double points finish since the [[2018 Italian Grand Prix]]. At the [[2021 Belgian Grand Prix]], Russell qualified in 2nd place and scored Williams's first podium since the [[2017 Azerbaijan Grand Prix]], as the race was stopped after only two laps under safety car conditions were completed, allowing most drivers to retain their qualifying position. The team also achieved a second consecutive double points finish, as Latifi finished 9th.
Russell scored back-to-back points at the [[2021 Italian Grand Prix]] and at the [[2021 Russian Grand Prix]] (9th and 10th respectively; in the latter he qualified 3rd, behind [[Carlos Sainz Jr.]] and pole-sitter [[Lando Norris]]). Williams finished in 8th place in the Constructors' Championship with 23 points, 10 points ahead of [[Alfa Romeo in Formula One|Alfa Romeo]], which finished in 9th place.

For the [[2022 Formula One World Championship|2022 season]], Russell left Williams to join the [[Mercedes-Benz in Formula One|Mercedes works team]], whose junior team he had been a part of.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Benson |first=Andrew |date=7 September 2021 |title=Mercedes sign British F1 driver to partner Lewis Hamilton from 2022 0|language=en-GB |work=BBC Sport |url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/formula1/58474646 |access-date=17 July 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=7 September 2021 |title=Mercedes Confirms 2022 F1 Driver Line-Up |url=https://www.mercedesamgf1.com/en/news/2021/09/mercedes-confirms-2022-f1-driver-line-up/ |access-date=17 July 2022 |website=Mercedes-AMG F1 |language=en}}</ref> Ex-[[Red Bull Racing|Red Bull]] driver, [[Alex Albon]], was signed to replace Russell.<ref>{{Cite web |date=8 September 2021 |title=Alex Albon to Drive for Williams Racing in 2022|url=https://www.alexalbon.com/news/alex-albon-to-drive-for-williams-racing-in-2022 |access-date=17 July 2022 |website=Alex Albon}}</ref> Latifi retained his spot in the team.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Coates |first=Freddie |date=8 September 2021 |title=Alex Albon Is Back In F1 Alongside Nicholas Latifi At Williams In 2022 |url=https://wtf1.com/post/alex-albon-is-back-in-f1-alongside-nicholas-latifi-at-williams-in-2022/ |access-date=17 July 2022 |website=WTF1}}</ref> Prior to the season, Williams announced a partnership deal with the battery manufacturer [[Duracell]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=14 February 2022 |title=Duracell to help power Williams Racing in 2022 and beyond |url=https://www.williamsf1.com/posts/831fa70a-a575-4552-b112-b37c53176e81/duracell-to-help-power-williams-racing-in-2022-and-beyond |access-date=17 July 2022 |website=Williams Racing |language=en}}</ref> Albon scored the team's first points of the season in the [[2022 Australian Grand Prix|Australian Grand Prix]], where he pitted only once on the last lap and finished tenth.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cooper |first=Adam |date=12 April 2022 |title=How Albon pulled off a strategy miracle in Australian GP |url=https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/how-albon-pulled-off-a-strategy-miracle-in-australian-gp/9832509/ |access-date=17 July 2022 |website=Autosport |language=en}}</ref> Albon also finished ninth in the [[2022 Miami Grand Prix|Miami Grand Prix]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hreskiv |first=Anton |date=11 May 2022 |title=Albon "super happy" after scoring points in Miami |url=https://asnmp.com/2022/05/11/albon-super-happy-after-scoring-points-in-miami/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220518092435/https://asnmp.com/2022/05/11/albon-super-happy-after-scoring-points-in-miami/ |url-status=usurped |archive-date=18 May 2022 |access-date=17 July 2022 |website=ASN Motorsports |language=en}}</ref> Latifi achieved his first ever Q3 appearance at the [[2022 British Grand Prix|British Grand Prix]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Medland |first=Chris |date=2 July 2022 |title=Latifi takes confidence boost from first Q3 appearance |url=https://racer.com/2022/07/02/latifi-takes-confidence-boost-from-first-q3-appearance/ |access-date=17 July 2022 |website=Racer |language=en-US}}</ref> though he dropped out of the points and finished in twelfth.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Butterworth |first1=Michael |last2=Rencken |first2=Dieter |date=5 July 2022 |title=Latifi laments 'frustrating' British GP despite confidence-boosting weekend |url=https://racingnews365.com/latifi-laments-frustrating-british-gp |access-date=17 July 2022 |website=Racing News 365 |language=en}}</ref> Following a number of penalties for other drivers at the [[2022 Belgian Grand Prix#Qualifying|Belgian Grand Prix]], Albon qualified ninth and started sixth.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Horton |first=Phillip |date=27 August 2022 |title=Albon promises 'elbows out' from 2022-best sixth |url=https://www.motorsportweek.com/2022/08/27/albon-promises-elbows-out-from-2022-best-sixth/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220827175541/https://www.motorsportweek.com/2022/08/27/albon-promises-elbows-out-from-2022-best-sixth/ |archive-date=27 August 2022 |access-date=12 September 2022 |website=Motorsport Week}}</ref> Albon went on to score Williams's third point position finish by ending the race in tenth.<ref>{{Cite web |date=30 August 2022 |title=Albon says he was 'holding on for dear life' to score final point in Belgium |url=https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.albon-says-he-was-holding-on-for-dear-life-to-score-final-point-in-belgium.6KKqsElu3Px3dxB9usg47M.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220902112309/https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.albon-says-he-was-holding-on-for-dear-life-to-score-final-point-in-belgium.6KKqsElu3Px3dxB9usg47M.html |archive-date=2 September 2022 |access-date=12 September 2022 |website=Formula 1}}</ref> Prior to the [[2022 Italian Grand Prix#Practice|third practice session at the Italian Grand Prix]], Albon withdrew after feeling ill and suffering from [[appendicitis]]. Williams announced [[Nyck de Vries]] as the replacement.<ref>{{Cite web |date=10 September 2022 |title=Nyck de Vries to drive in place of Alex Albon for the remainder of the Italian Grand Prix weekend |url=https://www.williamsf1.com/posts/8a7caacd-54f4-4948-a568-548c08e07271/nyck-de-vries-to-drive-in-place-of-alex-albon-for-the-remainder-of-the-italian-grand-prix |access-date=12 September 2022 |website=Williams F1}}</ref> In his first ever [[2022 Italian Grand Prix#Qualifying|qualifying session]], de Vries qualified thirteenth, but started eighth after penalties.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Wood |first1=Will |last2=Cottingham |first2=Claire |date=10 September 2022 |title=De Vries pleased with qualifying debut despite accidental brake balance error |url=https://www.racefans.net/2022/09/10/de-vries-pleased-with-qualifying-debut-despite-accidental-brake-balance-error/ |access-date=12 September 2022 |website=Racefans}}</ref> de Vries went on to finish ninth,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Formula 1 Pirelli Gran Premio D'Italia 2022 - Race Result |url=https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2022/races/1120/italy/race-result.html |access-date=12 September 2022 |website=Formula 1}}</ref> scoring points on his debut.<ref>{{Cite web |date=12 September 2022 |title=Nyck de Vries Scores Points In F1 Debut |url=https://f1chronicle.com/nyck-de-vries-scores-points-in-f1-debut/ |access-date=12 September 2022 |website=F1 Chronicle}}</ref>

Preceding the start of the 2023 race year, Mercedes ex-chief strategist James Vowles was announced to take over as the Team's new Principal, following the resignation of former Team Principal Jost Capito in 2022.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Williams Racing appoints new Team Principal |url=https://www.williamsf1.com/posts/93701e34-e20a-4bfd-bbd2-c289a1d5bd78/williams-racing-appoints-new-team-principal. |access-date=13 January 2023 |website=Williams F1}}</ref>

For the {{F1|2023}} season, Williams announced a long-term partnership with [[Gulf Oil]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Williams Racing and Gulf Oil International announce long-term partnership|url=https://www.williamsf1.com/posts/0ec41419-8cb9-4ae5-9429-8620771f7bfe/williams-racing-gulf-oil-international-long-term-partnership|access-date=22 March 2023|website=Williams Racing}}</ref> Albon's contract had been extended,<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.breaking-williams-confirm-albon-for-2023-on-new-multi-year-contract.1rpexVv61cyqPW7h7La6LZ.html | title=Williams confirm Albon for 2023 on new multi-year contract|website=Formula1|access-date=22 March 2023|date=3 August 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Williams confirm Logan Sargeant to race alongside Alex Albon for 2023|date=21 November 2022|url=https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.breaking-williams-confirm-logan-sargeant-to-race-alongside-alex-albon-for.4PPEcathLs1u09BIIRcNgB.html|access-date=23 November 2022|website=[[Formula 1]]|language=en}}</ref> partnering rookie [[Logan Sargeant]]; Sargeant, who replaces the departing [[Nicholas Latifi]], is the first American driver to race in Formula One since [[Alexander Rossi]] drove for the former [[Marussia F1]] team for five races in {{F1|2015}}.
[[File:Williams Racing 2024.jpg|thumb|Williams Racing's [[Alex Albon]] and [[Logan Sargeant]] at the 2024 season launch at the Puma Flagship Store in [[New York City]]]]
The season-opener of the {{F1 GP|2023|Bahrain}} saw Albon score one point in tenth ahead of Sargeant, who finished twelfth. Albon retired at the following race at the {{F1 GP|2023|Saudi Arabian}} due to a brake failure with Sargeant placing sixteenth after he failed to set a time within the [[107% rule]] in qualification due to mechanical issues. In the {{F1 GP|2023|Australian}}, Albon retired again after losing control of his car and crashing heavily early into the race, causing a red flag. Sargeant, meanwhile, crashed with [[Scuderia AlphaTauri|AlphaTauri]] driver [[Nyck de Vries]] during lap 56 of 58 after a restart. However, Sargeant was classified as having finished 16th, given that he had completed more than 90% of the race distance. Albon and Sargeant were retained for the {{f1|2024}} season. The latter was due to be replaced by [[Carlos Sainz Jr.]] in the {{f1|2025}} season.<ref name="SAIWilliams">{{cite web|access-date=29 July 2024|date=29 July 2024|title=Sainz signs for Williams as Spaniard's F1 future is confirmed|url=https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/breaking-carlos-sainz-signs-for-williams-as-spaniards-f1-future-is-confirmed.2wsM0VoH6D7H2akmtW9uXe|website=Formula 1.com}}</ref> However, Sargeant was released after the [[2024 Dutch Grand Prix]] due to his underperformances and his crash in the third practice section. His replacement, from the [[2024 Italian Grand Prix]] to the end of the season, was current [[Formula 2]] driver and [[Williams Driver Academy]] member [[Franco Colapinto]], who would become the first Argentine driver to compete in F1 since [[Gastón Mazzacane]] in {{f1|2001}}.<ref>{{Cite web |last=McClure |first=Michael |date=2024-08-27 |title=Colapinto to make F1 debut for Williams at Monza, replacing Sargeant |url=https://feederseries.net/2024/08/27/colapinto-to-make-f1-debut-for-williams-at-monza-replacing-sargeant/ |access-date=2024-08-27 |website=Feeder Series |language=en}}</ref>

In February 2025, Williams announced a record multi-year title sponsorship with [[Atlassian]] and will enter the [[2025 Formula One World Championship|2025 season]] as Atlassian Williams Racing.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mann-Bryans |first=Mark |date=11 February 2025 |title=Record title sponsorship for Williams as Atlassian deal announced |url=https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/record-title-sponsorship-for-williams-as-atlassian-deal-announced/10695069/ |access-date=11 February 2025 |website=[[Autosport.com]] |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=11 February 2025 |title=Williams announce new title partnership |url=https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/williams-announce-new-title-partnership-ahead-of-2025-season.4eRDXpi9xv7hyvr9hBbre1 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250211124102/https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/williams-announce-new-title-partnership-ahead-of-2025-season.4eRDXpi9xv7hyvr9hBbre1 |archive-date=11 February 2025 |access-date=11 February 2025 |website=[[Formula 1]] |language=en}}</ref>