OFICIAL Formula 1

How Williams rebuilt one of their most iconic F1 cars

What happened
Based on Formula 1 · Aug 13, 2026

Williams Heritage restored the FW18 chassis used by Damon Hill during the team’s 1996 championship season, reuniting the car with its driver at Goodwood Festival of Speed 30 years later.

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How Williams rebuilt one of their most iconic F1 cars
Formula 1 — Formula 1
Key points
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F1.com caught up with the Williams Heritage department during a special team reunion at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed.
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Back in 1996, Williams wrote one of the most successful chapters in their F1 story – claiming 12 pole positions and 12 victories out of 16 Grands Prix, racking up 21 podium finishes, and winning both the Drivers’ and Teams’ titles.
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It was a remarkable season for Frank Williams ’ squad, whose FW18 creation – overseen by Patrick Head and Adrian Newey – blew the competition away, despite reigning World Champion Michael Schumacher ’s best efforts with the Ferrari outfit he had just joined.
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Despite that success, Williams dropped Hill after the ’96 campaign, with Heinz-Harald Frentzen already signed up as Villeneuve’s new team mate – sending the Briton in the direction of Arrows, Jordan and then retirement from F1.
Key numbers
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Williams Heritage restored the FW18 chassis used by Damon Hill during the team’s 1996 championship season, reuniting the car with its driver at Goodwood Festival of Speed 30 years later.

Williams Heritage, the team’s preservation unit, completed a full restoration of FW18 chassis 4 ahead of the 2025 Goodwood Festival of Speed, marking the first time the car has run in nearly a decade. The project aimed to return the vehicle to its 1996 specification using original engineering notes and input from former mechanics who worked on it. Director Jonathan Kennard described the process as a labor of love, emphasizing the car’s significance in Williams’ history and its role in Damon Hill’s title-winning season.

The restoration involved stripping the chassis to bare metal, repainting it, and rebuilding the car with original components where possible. Williams Heritage leveraged archival design and engineering documents to replicate the car’s 1996 configuration, including its Renault V10 engine and hydraulic systems. Kennard highlighted the team’s access to these resources as a key advantage, enabling precise recreations of the car’s original setup.

Damon Hill, now 65, reunited with the FW18 at Goodwood, describing the experience as deeply personal and emotional. He recalled the car’s bespoke fit for his driving style and the strong bond between the mechanics and himself during the 1996 campaign. Hill praised the restoration’s attention to detail, noting the car’s responsiveness and balance when he drove it up the Goodwood hillclimb.

Former Williams mechanic Ian Mellor oversaw the technical work, detailing a five-month process that included non-destructive testing of the chassis, servicing of hydraulics and suspension components, and replacement of the fuel cell. The team also rebuilt the gearbox and cleaned radiators and hydraulics before reassembling the car. Mellor emphasized the meticulous approach taken to ensure the FW18 met its original performance standards while preserving its historical integrity.

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