Patrick Head, co-founder of Williams Grand Prix Engineering Limited with Frank Williams, was inspired by his father, a race car driver, to pursue a career as a racing car engineer. He worked at chassis constructor Lola and was involved in F1 design, but struggled to achieve success and stepped away from racing for a while. Later, Head was approached by Williams, who highly valued his technical skills, and in 1977, they co-founded the company. Since then, he has been at the heart of car development and operations alongside Frank Williams, and is still a legendary advisor to the team.

In 1985, Williams’ decision to hire Nigel Mansell was met with skepticism by many. Williams was a top team that had won back-to-back Constructors’ Championship starting in 1980, while Mansell, despite occasionally demonstrating speed, was known for his mistakes and crashes, and had not won a race in his four years of F1 racing, earning him little praise. Despite this, Frank Williams saw potential in Mansell, who was struggling to stay at Lotus, and brought him into the team.

Head recalled this period:

“We wanted a driver who could race tenaciously and take risks. When we hired Nigel, people kept saying it was because he was British, but Frank wasn’t particularly particular about that. He preferred drivers who were aggressive and had a strong desire to win, and Nigel had proven that during his time at Lotus. Sure, he made some mistakes, but he seemed to have immense potential.”

At the time there were reports that Williams driver Keke Rosberg was strongly opposed to Mansell joining the team. Rosberg had been blocked several times by Mansell in races and had criticized his driving style. In addition, Mansell had been protected by Chapman during his time at Lotus, and enjoyed many benefits as a British driver. Rosberg was concerned that he would receive similar treatment at Williams.

“It’s true that we had failed to find the right driver combination several times in the past,” Head wryly said.

“But, our basic attitude has always been to let both drivers compete on equal terms. Once Keke understood that after four or five races, he began to trust Nigel and they formed a very strong partnership. To begin with, Keke showed no interest in car development and, although he was able to get the most out of any car, he was a driver who gave very little technical feedback. On the other hand, Nigel, despite his image, provided solid technical feedback. His experience racing for rival manufacturer Renault was also a major factor in his selection.”

The Honda V6 turbo engine gained a dramatic improvement in reliability and performance with the introduction of the E-Spec in 1985. Coincidentally, Mansell changed his race number to a red 5 from Round 5, the Canadian Grand Prix, where the new spec engine was first used. This change was reportedly made to make the cars easier to distinguish, but:

“That was Nigel’s idea,” claimed Head.

“That was entirely Nigel’s choice. The team wasn’t involved at all. I don’t know why he chose red.”

The origin of “Red 5” is reportedly closely tied to the red racing suit Mansell wore after joining Williams. It is said that Mansell chose the red suit himself, inspired by the Royal Air Force’s acrobatic flight team, the Red Arrows. The origin of the name “Red 5” is said to have begun when Murray Walker, BBC commentator at the time, enthusiastically referred to Mansell’s car as “Red 5” during a broadcast.

Since adopting Red 5 livery, Mansell finally won his first GP at the 1985 European Grand Prix, and followed it up with a win in the South African Grand Prix, quickly establishing himself as a top driver. In 1986, he entered the season as a title contender, with teammate two-time champion Nelson Piquet, known as a championship contractor. Mansell displayed strong rivalry toward Piquet.

“Nigel was a driver who always seemed to view everyone else as adversaries. I think that mindset was linked to his exceptional speed and his unwavering determination to overcome any obstacle and achieve success. On the other hand, Nelson was a very intelligent driver. Once he realized that Nigel was faster and in some ways superior, he made political moves to weaken Nigel’s position within the team. Nelson was also proactive in communicating with Honda, to gain their trust, and Nigel sometimes misinterpreted this as a sign that he was at a disadvantage.”

Williams Honda dominated the 1986 season, winning the Constructors’ title early in the season. However, despite Mansell winning five races and Piquet four, out of the 16 rounds, they both missed out on claiming the Drivers’ title in the final round due to tire issues.

“There could not have been a more disappointing outcome than that season. Tire issues had been a concern for some time, and we had consulted with Goodyear, our tire supplier at the time. They claimed it was an issue with the car’s characteristics. Indeed, our car had the most powerful engine and downforce at the time. We therefore needed to take proactive measures in tire management. Unfortunately, Nigel’s car had a burst tire in the final round, which was caused by a tire issue. We saw similar signs on Nelson’s car, so we had to call him to the pits. We made that decision believing we could regain the lead, but unfortunately, we couldn’t. 1986 was particularly remarkable, as it began with Frank’s accident before the season started.”

In 1987, Mansell once again narrowly missed out on winning the championship. The precise moment of his demise occurred during qualifying at Suzuka.

“That crash was unnecessary. I think his rivalry with Nelson was too strong. That cost Nigel his chance at the championship, and Nelson took the crown. However, those various misfortunes and failures served him well as lessons, and when he returned to the team in 1991, he was an even better driver. Before that, Nigel was focused on winning the race in front of him and couldn’t see the bigger picture of the season. But in 1992, he was able to think strategically and secure second place points even when victory was within reach, as could be seen at the Monaco GP in his battle with Ayrton Senna (McLaren Honda). The Nigel of the Honda era would have gone for the win and risked crashing. I believe that overcoming the numerous challenges that stood in his way ultimately led to his growth and propelled him to the World Championship title.”