As Jenson Button and Ross Brawn celebrated yet another victory and added the Turkey chapter to what is developing into one of the sport's most inspiring stories, the man who gave them their break in Formula One was deep in thought, no doubt contemplating the next step in his own battle to bounce back to the champagne days.

It's now nine races since Lewis Hamilton, the defending world champion, last won but for Sir Frank Williams, the wait for his eponymous team's next victory has been considerably longer, to the point that he initially draws a blank when asked to recall it.

"It was Juan Pablo Montoya in the last race of 2004," he says finally. But Williams does not like to dwell on the past, whether it be successes or failures.

And there have been plenty of successes from more than 500 grands prix. In total, he has overseen 113 race wins, nine constructors' titles and seven drivers' titles. But the impressive haul of silverware doesn't reflect the frustration currently felt by one of the sport's most respected men.

"I'm embarrassed," said Williams, shaking his head. "It's genuinely embarrassing as we haven't won a race for a long, long time. The fact I had to think about when our last win was I think says it all."

There were signs of improvement in Turkey with Nico Rosberg fifth but mediocrity doesn't sit comfortably with Williams and things are not about to change soon, despite this year being a golden opportunity for a return to the front of the grid.

The rulebook had been ripped up, with F1 undergoing the most radical change for two decades. For the first time in an era dominated by the big manufacturers, Williams finally looked to have a chance to get back to the front. But they are still scrapping for points rather than the race wins the team have become accustomed to in four decades in the sport.

"We're not where we want to be," is Williams's blunt assessment. "We're in F1 to win races and not just a one-off race - that's insufficient - but we've not been doing that or been near to doing that."

As one of the few independents on the grid, the 67-year-old faces a massive challenge to get back to winning ways. At least he knows his team will definitely be on the grid next season, having broken ranks from the Formula One Teams Association (FOTA) and, along with Force India, unconditionally signed up to F1 in 2010, despite the row raging over a proposed spending cap. The move resulted in Williams being thrown out by FOTA but he is unrepentant and anyway, is confident the dispute between FOTA and the FIA will be resolved.

"The sole reason we exist is to compete in F1 so there was no question we were going to put in an entry," said Williams. And when asked if he expected to be racing against the big teams next year, he added, "Yes, absolutely, 100 per cent".

Williams is surprisingly laid back about the current political turmoil but he's seen it all before and worse. "This is just how Formula One is," he said with a shrug. "People spend a lot of time being upset. Anyway I've experienced worse before."

While Williams is facing adversity on the track, he has had his share of adversity off it. He has been confined to a wheelchair since crashing while driving away from the Paul Ricard circuit after the 1986 French Grand Prix, a race won by Williams driver Nigel Mansell.

Like much of the past, Williams does not tend to dwell on it although admits that he thinks about it some days.

And he certainly casts his mind back to the two drivers who have lost their lives while driving for his teams. One is perhaps less well known, Piers Courage, who died after crashing at the 1970 Dutch Grand Prix, the other being arguably the most famous F1 casualty of all time, Ayrton Senna, at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix.

Senna is regarded by many as F1's greatest ever driver although his old team boss doesn't agree. In fact, he is not even sure he was the best Williams driver. He said: "We've had some good drivers but as for the best, I don't know. Nigel Mansell perhaps gave us the most. He was so courageous but was an utter pain away out of the car.

"Nelson Piquet was another to do a good job for us and Alain Prost."

One of the more recent drivers to pass through the team is championship leader Button, who Williams plucked from obscurity as an untried 20-year-old in 2000. After six points finishes that season, he was earmarked as a world champion in the making but his stock fell as he struggled at Benetton, BAR and Honda.

But Williams has never doubted his talent to the extent that he fought hard to tie Button to a contract with the team in 2006 before the Briton paid out of his own pocket to ensure he could stay with Honda. Button's former employer agrees the Brawn GP driver is a "great talent", the same sentiment he reserves for Hamilton, but he prefers to dwell on the machinery at Button's disposal, describing it as "the car everyone wants to have".

Button is not the only part of the Brawn GP success story to have profited from Williams's expertise. As well as giving Button his big break, he gave Brawn his first F1 opportunity.

Williams remembers Brawn, whose father worked for Firestone tyres at the time, as a "bright boy". He recalled: "I can't remember thinking he was destined for greatness but he was like a sponge of information."

Button and Brawn look certain to be the dominant double act at the British Grand Prix in two weekends' time, a race that will mark 30 years since Williams enjoyed its first win in F1 - courtesy of Clay Regazzoni at Silverstone.

Looking back, the overriding memory is one of relief rather than celebration. Having fought off bailiffs to keep afloat and only managed to survive thanks to some Saudi Arabian backers in the early years, Williams had finally seen his optimism pay off.

That drive to succeed continues unabated and his passion for F1 and racing remains equally undiminished.

Returning to Silverstone a week on Sunday will have a special resonance for Williams, as the scene of the first F1 race he attended as a 16-year-old.

More than half-a-century on, the sport has changed dramatically but Williams is showing the same old determination to succeed.