“Keep your distance!”: Throwback to when the Williams F1 team took ‘drastic’ measures to prevent other drivers from crashing into their cars

Williams F1 team painted the rear wings of their cars with ‘keep your distance!’ signs at the 2001 San Marino GP. 

In 2001, crashing into your opponents on track was a norm in most F1 races. The penalties handed out to drivers were not as strict as they are in F1 today, and many drivers took advantage of that.

We’ve all heard stories of legendary drivers like Michael Schumacher and Ayrton Senna crashing into their rivals to prevent their forward charges. However, the Williams team surprised everyone with their sense of humour after resorting to ‘drastic measures’ to prevent others from ramming into their rear wing.

There were several rear-end shunts in the opening races of the 2001 season. Williams driver Juan Pablo Montoya was leading the Brazilian GP when current World Champion Max Verstappen’s father Jos crashed into the back of Montoya’s FW23.

Also read: Former four-time world champion wants F1 to stick with its traditional methods

This was just one of the many similar incidents that had taken place that year, and Williams came to Imola prepared. The Oxfordshire based team painted their rear wings during the first practice session, with a sign that said: “Keep your distance!”

Well, no car rammed into either Williams driver at the San Marino GP in 2001. Ralf Schumacher, who was driving for them, won the race ahead of David Coulthard and Rubens Barrichello in 2nd and 3rd. On the other hand, Montoya had to retire on the 48th lap of the race due to a clutch issue.

Williams look to return to winning ways in the near future

Williams has had a fragile recent past in F1. The British team scored just seven points in 2018, followed by 1 point in 2019 and 0 in 2020. The 2021 season was relatively better for them as they had 23 points to their name.

This year, their outgoing star driver George Russell also bagged a P2 finish at the Belgian GP. It was Williams’ first podium finish since Azerbaijan in 2017.

Williams has gone through massive financial troubles in the last few years. But with regulation changes and a new owner, their team principal Jost Capito has high hopes for the future.

Recently, he spoke to the media about their 10-year-plan, which they hope will take them back to Formula 1.

Also read: Mercedes are set to go back to using a Silver Livery for the 2022 season