FAST FIVE; Frank Williams.(NEWS)(Interview)

AutoWeek: How are you coping with the recession?

FRANK WILLIAMS: It's hard work, but even in the rich timesif there are such thingsyou have to work hard, because there's never enough money. For the last two or three years, we were spending beyond our means, but it was the right thing to do. If we hadn't, we wouldn't have been able to stay in the game. Thanks to the changed conditions, how-ever, that will not be the case this year or next, and we will be paying off debts. . . . We have lost some sponsors, but actually I don't think getting sponsors is any more difficult than it was 12 months ago. The Royal Bank of Scotland announced it will not renew its contract with us, but the current one doesn't expire until the end of 2010, and actually, I think the team's finances are in good shape.

AW: How would you like everything to shake out with the teams, Bernie Ecclestone and cost cuts?

FW: Obviously, I'd like it to shake out so that the teams get a bigger slice of the cake! It's a difficult time for everyone in the business, even though we're all cutting our costs very substantially. I think the formation of the teams' association has been an entirely positive thing.

AW: Williams hasn't won a championship since 1997 or a race since 2004. Do you regret not landing a long-term manufacturer partner?

FW: Williams did have many manufacturer partners, like Honda, Renault and BMW. Of course, one regrets not having one at the moment, not least because it's so much cheaper! But I've no ...