Cosworth congratulates Sir Frank Williams

Sir Frank Williams

Cosworth would like to extend its congratulations to Sir Frank Williams who was presented with the Helen Rollason Award at the BBC’s prestigious Sports Personality of the Year show held at the LG Arena in Birmingham last night.

The Helen Rollason Award is bestowed on individuals for outstanding courage and achievement in the face of adversity. The trophy was presented to Sir Frank’s team partner Patrick Head by former Williams driver and 1996 F1 champion Damon Hill.

The AT&T Williams team have played an integral part in Cosworth’s return to Formula One this season. Cosworth was recently joined by a number of very special guests (and vehicles) as its Northampton factory played host to an exclusive end-of-season staff celebration in commemoration of the firm’s successful 2010 Formula One season.

Sharing in the special occasion with Cosworth were Williams Technical Director Sam Michael, Virgin Racing Technical Director Nick Wirth and Hispania Racing F1 Team driver Christian Klien, all of whom took part in an on-stage Q+A session. Williams driver Rubens Barrichello, who visited the Cosworth factory in the run-up to the 2010 season, and is back home in Brazil with his family for the winter, sent a specially recorded video message for Cosworth staff.

The event, which was moderated by Formula One Television commentator Jonathan Legard, gave Cosworth an opportunity to reflect collectively on the highlights of the company’s return to Formula One as an engine supplier after a three year hiatus, as well as its valuable contribution as a provider of electronics and other engineering solutions to a number of teams throughout the grid.

The engine that powered Nico Hulkenberg’s Williams to pole position in Brazil, designated CA221, was assembled at Cosworth by engine builder Darren Palliser. As a memento of that accomplishment, Sam Michael presented a surprised Darren with a framed pair of gloves, worn by Nico during that pole lap and signed by Nico himself.

A Williams Cosworth FW28 race car from 2006 was on display in the reception of the Cosworth factory, alongside a 1967 Cosworth DFV-powered Lotus 49B driven during its career by Graham Hill, Jochen Rindt, Emerson Fittipaldi and Mario Andretti.

Mark Gallagher, Cosworth F1 Business Unit General Manager: “On behalf of Cosworth, I would like to congratulate Sir Frank for his award at last night’s BBC Sports Personality of the Year. It is a fitting tribute to one of Formula One’s true greats and Cosworth is proud to have such a close association with his team, both historically and currently. We have also taken time to reflect on our first season back in F1 as an engine supplier this year with a staff celebration at the factory in Northampton. I’d like to say thanks to all of our staff and their families for the hard work and dedication that has gone into making 2010 successful from Cosworth’s point of view. Special thanks to Christian Klien, Nick Wirth, Sam Michael and Rubens Barrichello for their valuable contribution to the event and in giving all of Cosworth’s staff an evening to remember."