This weekend’s Italian Grand Prix at Monza will be the final race for the Williams family in Formula One. After 43 years and 739 Grands Prix, the family will leave the sport following the recent change in ownership to Dorilton Capital.
Claire Williams OBE, Deputy Team Principal: “With the future of the team now secured, this feels like the appropriate time for us to step away from the sport. As a family, we have always prioritised Williams. We have demonstrated that by our recent actions with the Strategic Review process and we believe now is the right time to hand over the reins and give the new owners the opportunity to take the team into the future.
“We have been in this sport for more than four decades. We are incredibly proud of our track record and the legacy we leave behind. We have always been in it for the love of it, for the pure pleasure of going motor racing, so this is not a decision that we have taken lightly but after much reflection and as a family.
“We are greatly appreciative of Dorilton’s encouragement to continue, but in them we know the team will be in good hands and the Williams name will live on. This may be the end of an era for Williams as a family-run team, but it is the beginning of a new era for Williams Racing and we wish them much success in the future.
“On behalf of Frank and the Williams family, I would like to say how incredibly grateful and humbled we are for the support we have enjoyed over the years, from our friends in the paddock to the many fans around the world. But mostly, we would like to thank our team. People who have worked at Williams in the past and present. They are the true warriors of this team and have made it what it is and we wish them well. Formula One has been our life for so long and now it’s time for a new chapter in our lives to begin.”
The next logical question is, who will be the team boss? Will someone dust of the infamous Finbarr?
If you go to Dorilton Capital’s website and look at the news, there is no mention of buying the Williams team. Then there are articles talking about some mysterious Asian interest. A big part of F1 is the personalities and Frank Williams is one of them. We will miss him.
I’m going to hold out hope for some combination of Eric Boullier and Lena Gade (as if). Even if I get my wish, and recent struggles aside, there’s no getting around Frank and Claire being a distinguished part of the firmament of modern F1. Though a long time in coming, I’m not certain how to feel about this.
It’s certainly and end of an era. Hopefully the team will stay in F1 long term, much like McLaren has.
Claire Williams OBE? Born on third think she got a triple.. bankrupted the team