Legendary Formula 1 team boss Sir Frank Williams is suffering from pneumonia but is making a “slow and steady” recovery in hospital, his team has confirmed.
The Williams team owner was taken ill at the Italian Grand Prix in September, with the 74-year-old’s daughter Claire Williams – deputy team principal of the Grove-based squad – staying in the UK to be with him.
Williams chief executive Mike O'Driscoll was in the FIA press conference on Friday and gave an update on the situation.
“[Sir Frank] has been a fixture in the paddock for so many years it's strange not to have him with us,” he told media at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.
“He's had a tough time in hospital, he has contracted pneumonia. He's making a recovery, a slow and steady recovery. We hope to see him back in Grove very soon, we all know how determined he is.”
Claire Williams has missed the last few races but O’Driscoll said the team hopes she will be back before the 2016 F1 finale in Abu Dhabi: “We expect Claire to be back [this year].
“She's wanted to be close to home, close to Frank, but in this world you're only a phone call away, so we've stayed connected and she's part of everything that happens on a minute-by-minute, day-by-day basis. We hope to see her by the end of the year, hopefully at Abu Dhabi.”
