Jonathan James Williams (26 October 1942 – 31 August 2014) was a British racing driver.
Born in Cairo, Egypt, Williams participated in one Formula One World Championship Grand Prix, on 22 October 1967. He finished 8th, scoring no World Championship points.
Williams' racing career began in the early 1960s, competing in saloons and various junior formulae, graduating to Formula Three in 1963 and in 1966 drove for the de Sanctis team.Jonathan Williams. f1rejects.com During this time he worked with the young Sir Frank Williams (no relation), Sheridan Thynne and Piers Courage.F1 Rejects Interview with Jonathan Williams. f1rejects.com
In 1967, Williams was signed by Scuderia Ferrari, initially competing in sports car racing. That year, Ferrari lost several drivers, including team leader Lorenzo Bandini who died from injuries sustained at that year's Monaco Grand Prix and Williams' sports car co-driver, Günter Klass, killed during practice at the Mugello Circuit in July. Later that year, Williams was offered a drive in F1, but after only one Grand Prix, he was dropped by Ferrari and a subsequent F1 project with Abarth did not come to fruition. However, he did compete in some Formula Two events in 1968 winning the Rhine Cup race in a car entered by Sir Frank Williams, before driving the works Serenissima. In 1969, he helped develop the De Tomaso F1 car for Frank Williams as well as continuing to compete in F2.
Williams continued also to be active in sports car racing. At the 1970 24 Hours of Le Mans, he co-drove the Porsche 908/02 which carried cameras for the Steve McQueen movie Le Mans.
Williams retired from racing in 1972 and became a pilot, (initially for Alessandro de Tomaso) an occupation he claimed to dislike and subsequently a writer and photographer.
Williams died on 31 August 2014, aged 71. He appeared in the documentary film Steve McQueen: The Man & Le Mans, released nine months after his death and which closes with a clip of Williams driving in the 1971 film Le Mans.
Racing record
Complete Formula One World Championship results (key) Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 WDC Points 1967 Scuderia Ferrari SpA SEFAC Ferrari 312/67 Ferrari 242 3.0 V12 RSA MON NED BEL FRA GBR GER CAN ITA USA MEX NC 0
Complete European Formula Two Championship results (key) Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Points 1968 Merlyn Racing Merlyn MK 12 Ford Cosworth FVA 1.6 L4 HOC THR JAR PAL TUL ZAN NC 0 Ron Harris Racing Division Tecno TF68 PER HOC VAL Alejandro de Tomaso De Tomaso 103 Ford Cosworth FVA 1.6 L4 THR HOC NÜR JAR TUL PER VAL NC 0
References
External links