Last year, Williams F1 announced that Simon Roberts had taken over as team principal. His appointment came on the back of the Williams family departing the team for good. However a year later, it transpired that Roberts departed the team after a massive restructuring. Ahead of the French Grand Prix, George Russell spoke about the reshuffle in the team.
He said, “Simon was a huge part of the team in the transitional period. Huge thanks to Simon, there’s obviously been a restructure within the team. Trying to make things more efficient, more streamlined. Unfortunately, there wasn’t really room for that role anymore.”
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Russell noted that Jost Capito has taken over as team boss. Having said all that, Russell was truly thankful for Roberts’ contributions to the outfit. Without a doubt, the British driver has been the star driver for the Grove-based team and has often come close to earning points.
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What lies in the future for Williams F1 and George Russell?
Admittedly, it is rather painful to see a team that used to boast of F1 champions, languish at the back of the pack. Hopefully with Jost Capito in charge, as well as decent drivers of Russell’s calibre, can bring them back up the order. However, if we’re being realistic, it could take a while for the marquee to get back to where it used to be.
Coming to Russell, the Briton’s star is on the rise and great things are expected of him. There are even whispers that a Mercedes seat is awaiting him in 2022 or later. This move makes sense because George Russell is a Mercedes junior driver. To be honest, any Mercedes junior driver’s ultimate dream would be to race for the main team. He already got a taste of it last year when he subbed in for a COVID-affected Lewis Hamilton, so he would not mind a permanent berth.
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READ MORE: Fernando Alonso Explains How George Russell Opened ‘The Eyes of Millions of People’