On This Day in 1980: Our first championship-winning season concludes

The 1980 Formula 1 season was a landmark moment in our history as we celebrated our first-ever Constructors' and Drivers’ Championship titles.

Under the leadership of founders Sir Frank Williams and Sir Patrick Head, Williams Racing enjoyed a dominant season with Alan Jones and Carlos Reutemann behind the wheel of our FW07B.

The final pages of our maiden championship success were written on this day 43 years ago at the 1980 United States Grand Prix, and here’s how it all unfolded….

Our story starts with the machine that ensured our name would have a place in the history of our sport forever more, the FW07B.

Its predecessor, the FW07, had delivered the team its very first race victories the previous season and laid the foundations for our first shot at championship glory.

Much like our present-day FW46, this generation of F1 cars used ground effect to generate downforce and the masterminds behind our design were Patrick Head, Frank Dernie and Neil Oatley.

Between them, they crafted a car that was at the very top of its field. But, it wasn’t just fast – it was also reliable.

Racing in a time where you could easily have more retirements than race finishers, having a consistent and reliable tool for your drivers to push was often half of the battle.

In 1980, Alan and Carlos would suffer just three retirements each, by far and away the least of the entire field.

Make no mistake, our success wasn’t just a result of building a car that guaranteed we saw the chequered flag. The FW07B was built to be one of the very first to see it at every single race.

The driving force behind our glory that season was, of course, the fearless drivers who put themselves behind the wheel every single Grand Prix weekend.

Alan Jones had been with the team for a couple of seasons, and the Australian came into the year as one of the favourites alongside his new teammate.

Carlos Reutemann arrived over the winter, bringing with him a wealth of Formula 1 experience, with the Argentine having raced for the likes of Ferrari, Brabham and Lotus previously.

Together, they were nearly unstoppable. We may not have been the quickest in terms of one-lap pace, with only three pole positions all year, but in the race, it was a different story.

Between them, Alan and Carlos picked up six wins, six second places and six third places across the 14 rounds, guiding us to 120 points and sealing the Constructors’ Championship at the penultimate round in Canada – almost double the tally of our nearest challengers that season, Ligier.

In the Drivers’ Championship, it was Alan who had the upper hand. The Australian celebrated five Grand Prix victories on the way to his one and only title.

And it was 5 October 1980, 44 years ago today, that our double-winning season wrapped up in sensational style at Watkins Glen.

Having dropped down the field after running wide at the start, Alan set about climbing back up the order and ultimately led Carlos home to secure a second-successive 1-2 finish.