Just as a heads up, there’s a new competition about to be launched on F1 Badger, where you can win yourself a copy of a brand new book entitled “Williams” written by none other than Maurice Hamilton.

Released on the 20th August, it will be available in all good bookshops, but here on F1 Badger you’ll be able to win yourself a copy.  Stay tuned for details and a full review of what’s likely to be a cracking read…

Press Release:

Williams – The legendary story of Frank Williams and his F1 team in their own words

Founded in 1977 by Sir Frank Williams and Patrick Head, Williams F1 represents the last of the true independent motor racing teams; a company devoid of corporate dogma and run by enthusiasts driven by a love of racing. In a sport driven by corporate affiliations at the highest level, Williams remains a down-to-earth independent team of racers, a David among Goliaths. Yet the team has frequently proved itself as a world beater. Since its first Grand Prix victory at Silverstone on 14 July 1979, Williams F1 has won a further 112 GPs, delivered seven World Champions – among them Nigel Mansell and Damon Hill – and won nine Constructors Championships.

Now, in the 30th anniversary year of that first victory, the definitive history of Williams F1 is told by all those involved

From the early days when Piers Courage, Jonathan Williams and Frank Williams were so strapped for cash they would travel to races around Europe and sleep in the van between the wheels of the racing car to the thrill of winning both the constructor’s and driver’s championship with Alan Jones in 1980 and the team’s 500th grand prix last year, Williams tells the rollercoaster story of three remarkable decades.

At the heart of the book are Sir Frank and Patrick Head’s personal recollections, along with memories and anecdotes from those at every level: from the shop floor to the upper strata of management; from the mechanics and machinists to the drivers – Mansell, Hill, Coulthard, Alain Prost and Alan Jones among them. It relates both the incredible highs of winning against the odds while never shying the terrible lows of a dangerous sport.

Conveying the story and soul of a unique band of people, Williams is a rare insider’s account that explains exactly why the Williams team is held in more affection than any other team in Britain, if not the world.

Maurice Hamilton has been covering Formula 1 as a freelance journalist since 1977. Present at the unveiling of Williams FW06 on 14th December that year, he has attended more than 450 Grands Prix, including every race since 1984, and seen every one of the Williams’ team victories. Author of 19 books, Hamilton has been The Observer’s motor racing correspondent for 10 years.