In 1979, in the team's second full year of competition, driver Clay Regazzoni scored Williams' first victory with teammate Alan Jones winning four of the final six races of the season. If the Saudis were looking for a return on their investment. [Frank Williams] was providing it, and then some.

From 1980-'97, Williams captured the Constructor's Cup a record nine times, employing a number of Formula One's top driving stars, including Carlos Reutemann, Keke Rosberg, Ricardo Patrese, Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna, Damon Hill and Jacques Villeneuve.

The other and more tragic setback occurred during the 1994 campaign. Williams had hired three-time world champion Ayrton Senna to drive for him that year. But in only his third outing (the Italian Grand Prix), the young Brazilian crashed head-on into a barrier at high speed and was killed. Incredibly, instead of chalking up the fatality as part of the sport's inherent risk, the Italian authorities pointed fingers at Williams' technical director [Patrick Head] and his chief designer. After more than a decade of legal wrangling, all charges were eventually dismissed, but the affair hung like a dark cloud over the team.