Claire Williams: ‘Was Fed up’ With Williams F1 and ‘All the People in It’

When one talks about the history of Formula 1, it is hard not to mention the contributions from Williams F1. For a long time now, they have been called the ‘sleeping giants’ owing to their past successes in the 80s and 90s.

The 2020 season saw the Williams family depart after running the team’s operations for several years. Dorilton Capital, an American-based investment company, then took over the ownership reigns of the team.

Former deputy team principal Claire Williams briefly touched upon Dorilton Capital and their ambitions. She also talks about ‘sensing’ a real passion from the American firm’s end towards the team’s principal objective.

New owners Dorilton Capital have ‘deep pockets’, says Claire Williams

Speaking in an interview, Williams stated, “They’ve got deep pockets. I was fed up with the team, and all the people in it, scrabbling around not being able to do their job properly because we didn’t have the money to allow them to do it.”

Williams F1’s last few seasons have been nothing to write home about, with the team often starting as backmarkers in the races. But with new owners entering the fray, and 2022 regulations round the corner, there is hope and optimism for the Grove-based outfit to rise again stronger.

“For many years, I always found that quite deeply frustrating and upsetting. I knew Dorliton were willing to put money into the team in order to take the team back to the front of the grid. I could sense a real passion to do that, very similar to our family’s passion,” concluded Williams.

The team had a terrible 2020 campaign, failing to pick up a single championship point

Finishing dead last in the Constructors standings, Williams had very little positives to celebrate in 2020. Drivers George Russell and Nicholas Latifi got into Q2 a few times, but ultimately returned empty-handed from the races.

Even their nearest rivals Haas and Alfa Romeo picked up championship points. But owing to a lack of firepower in their cars, the results just did not come for Williams at all.

After a period of sustained disappointment, the next few years could see Williams invest concerted efforts to fight back. But for that, they will have to rise against the odds to make it happen.