Based on the highly successful Lotus 79, the Williams FW07 hit it's stride midseason in 1979. Clay Regazzoni scored Williams first win at the British Grand Prix at Sliverstone, and team mate Alan Jones won four of the next 5 races. Altogether the FW07 scored five wins in the last seven races in 1979. Jones finished third in the World Championship behind Ferrari drivers Jody Scheckter and Gilles Villeneuve.
1980 saw the FW07 win 6 more times in 1980, 5 times with Alan Jones and once with Carlos Reutemann who had replaced Clay Regazzoni. Alan Jones won the 1980 World Championship - the first of many for the Williams F1 team.