Former Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone paid tribute to the late Frank Williams as a pioneer who helped to build the modern sport and without whom it might have ceased to exist.
Williams, who had been quadriplegic since a 1986 car accident in France, died on Sunday aged 79, his family said in a statement.
The eponymous team he founded, still the second most successful in terms of constructors' championships and third oldest, was sold to U.S.-based Dorilton Capital last year.
Williams came from an era where title-winning teams were run by their founders, men such as Enzo Ferrari, Ken Tyrrell and Lotus boss Colin Chapman who are all long gone.