This season, the Williams team gained new financial backing, thanks to Arab sponsors Fly-Saudia and Albilad. To design the new single-seater, the technical team, comprising technical director Patrick Head and Neil Oatley, was further strengthened by the arrival of chief aerodynamicist Frank Dernie from Hesketh, which had by then ceased operations. The three began working on what would become one of the most successful Williams cars ever: the FW07.
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| WILLIAMS FW07, Alan Jones Zandvoort, Dutch GP 1979 |
The new car's design heavily drew inspiration from the Lotus 79, as both teams used the same wind tunnel at Imperial College London. In fact, some British journalists even claimed that the FW07 was little more than a redesigned Lotus 79, a theory also supported by Lotus aerodynamicist Peter Wright. However, since the FW07 was a more recent design, it was built using new materials that allowed for a lightweight yet stiffer chassis, keeping the weight down to just 579 kg. Aesthetically, the car appeared small, simple, and extremely lightweight, with clean and sleek lines.
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| WILLIAMS FW07, Alan Jones Jarama, Spanish GP 1979 |
Although Chapman's Lotus cars were the first to harness ground effect, the aerodynamic research and work done by Patrick Head's team maximized these principles, and the results were evident almost immediately. During the first four races of the season, Williams drivers Alan Jones (Australia) and Clay Regazzoni (Switzerland) still used the old FW06, but they debuted the FW07 at the Spanish Grand Prix.
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| WILLIAMS FW07, Clay Regazzoni Zandvoort, Dutch GP 1979 |
Already in the following race, Jones led for 16 laps before retiring, while in Monaco, Regazzoni secured the FW07's first podium by finishing second. The first victory came at Silverstone, Regazzoni’s home Grand Prix, followed by three consecutive wins for Jones, plus another victory in Canada.
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| WILLIAMS FW07, Alan Jones Montecarlo, Monaco GP 1979 |
If it weren’t for the forgettable start to the season with the outdated FW06, it would have been a dream season for the Grove-based team in Oxfordshire. Still, they finished with 75 points and second place in the constructors' championship. Jones also secured third place in the drivers' standings, behind the two Ferrari drivers, while Regazzoni finished fifth. The excellence of the FW07 project was immediately clear, as the car continued competing in subsequent seasons, winning 15 races across 43 Grands Prix from 1979 to 1981.
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