The FW19 was not a revolution but a refinement. Adrian Newey had drawn the car as an evolution of the dominant FW18 with which Damon Hill had become champion the year before. Before the season began, however, Newey left for McLaren, and it fell to Geoff Willis to finish his work. That made the FW19 the last Williams to bear Newey's signature — and, as it later turned out, the last Williams ever to win a world title.
Under the 'bonnet' sat the Renault RS9, a 3.0-litre V10 that, as a works engine, was the absolute benchmark of the field. It was the last time a genuine works Renault raced in Formula 1 before the make's temporary withdrawal; not until Fernando Alonso's Renault R25 in 2005 would a Renault engine take a world title again. The car ran in the blue-and-white Rothmans colours — although on this model, as on the real car in countries with a tobacco ban, the sponsor logo is censored as the puzzling "R.?".
Villeneuve, in his second year with the team, was joined by Heinz-Harald Frentzen, who replaced the fallen champion Hill. The Canadian set the tone straight away: pole after pole, ten pole positions over the season. He won in Brazil, Argentina, Spain, Great Britain, Hungary, Austria and Luxembourg — seven wins, more than anyone else that year. But it was also a season of retirements and a disqualification at Suzuka, which kept the title fight open until the very last race.
On 26 October 1997 Villeneuve arrived at Jerez one point behind Schumacher. He took pole — with exactly the same time as Schumacher and Frentzen, a unique occurrence. In the race, on lap 48, Villeneuve dived down the inside at the Dry Sack corner. Schumacher turned in on the Williams in an attempt to take him out, but it was the Ferrari that ended up stuck in the gravel. Villeneuve drove on, deliberately let Häkkinen and Coulthard past in the closing laps to nurse his damaged car, and finished third. Enough for the title.
The FIA later ruled that Schumacher had caused the collision deliberately and excluded him from the final championship standings. Villeneuve was world champion with 81 points, and Williams also took the constructors' title. To this day it remains the last 'crown' for the team from Grove.
This model in my display cabinet carries number 3, the censored "R.?" livery and the characteristic high nose of the late nineties. A quiet reminder of the last season in which Williams truly fought for the title — and won.