The news that Williams Executive Director would be leaving for Mercedes was a bit of a surprise as an investor of Williams F1 but that’s indeed what has happened. Apparently the opportunity is too big to pass up and even Sir Frank Williams himself has weighed in on the situation in true magnanimous fashion:
‘’I would like to thank Toto for his hard work, dedication and commitment to the team during his time as a Director of the Company. He was a key support to me as Executive Director last season, deputising at a number of races when I was unable to attend. However, positions such as the one offered to him by Mercedes do not come around often. Toto has a long history with them and I certainly was not going to stand in the way of him accepting this once in a lifetime opportunity. Toto will retain his shareholding in Williams and will always have a place at Grove but make no mistake; we will fight him hard on the racetrack! I am sure he will be a strong asset for Mercedes and on behalf of the whole team I would like to wish him the best of luck in his new role. I’m lucky to have a very professional group of people around me and the Company’s Executive Committee will continue the work they have been doing to ensure a successful future for the business.”
It’s a bit odd but then being invested in a team while working at another team may not be completely unusual. Certainly Red Bull have two teams with two different missions and directions and even McLaren’s technical partnership with Force India would surely help the Woking team cheer for the under dog from time to time.
Congratulations to Toto Wolff and I suspect we will see Susie Wolff as the reserve driver any day soon now? Perhaps Bottas moving to replace Nico Rosberg for 2014?
