Williams & Renault back together in F1

Williams F1 are to revisit their partrnership with Renault, with the French company supplying engines for Williams starting in 2012.

For those of us who enjoy F1 (on the whole – although races like Canada rather than Valencia, it as to be said) but are very slightly past the first flush of youth, it’s rather sad to see Williams languishing in the ranks of also-rans on this year’s grid.

With one of the greatest race-brains in Sir Frank Williams, and still one of the best F1 drivers in Rubens Barrichello, it would be great to see Williams at least running with the second tier of cars. But this season so far they have amassed just 4 points.

That’s fewer points than all but the new boys, and a long way off joining the middle group of also-rans. It must make Frank very sad.

Which perhaps had him looking at Renault’s overtures to be engine supplier for Williams in 2012 in a very favourable light. Who could resist revisiting the glory days – glory days which saw Williams win four drivers and five constructors titles in the nineties using Renault engines.

The drivers were none too shoddy in those days either. Nigel Mansell, Alain Prost, Damon Hill and Jacques Villeneuve all lifted the driver’s trophy in those halcyon days for Williams, and the Renault engines were a big part of that success.

But perhaps the biggest part was the partnership between Frank Williams, Adrian Newey and Patrick Head. The real success for Williams came to an end when Adrian Newey left for McLaren, and it’s arguable that it was Newey – far more than Williams and Head – who was responsible for the success of Williams in that glorious period.

That said, Williams have had hardly any success with their cars since Patrick Head went sideways to Engineering Director, vacating his Technical Director role. Maybe the Renault tie-up will sprinkle some new fairy dust on Williams’ little corner of Oxforshire. Let’s hope so.

Because there’s not much chance of prising Adrian away from Red Bull.