Why 'family' still comes first in Williams' new Capito era

The appointment of Francois-Xavier Demaison as the Williams F1 team's new technical director is the latest manifestation of new CEO Jost Capito's mission to preserve the team's 'family' feel. It will take time before it can take effect, but he is confident it is the correct approach

Published Mar 26, 2021, 12:50 PM

When the Williams family made what must have been the painful decision to sell its eponymous Formula 1 team last year, there was an obvious risk that its name and influence would disappear from the sport forever.

Just as the Tyrrell, Stewart and Minardi monikers and identities morphed and disappeared into the current Mercedes, Red Bull and AlphaTauri models, so too it would have been easy for the Williams legacy to fade away as well. For, however much Dorilton Capital was intent on ensuring the Williams name lived on, the shift away from a family-run outfit to one led by sharp investors meant that things would equally have to change.

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Author Jonathan Noble

Jonathan Noble is Motorsport.com’s Formula 1 editor. Having graduated from University of Sussex Jonathan worked for sports news agency Collings Sports reporting on F1, F3, touring cars and other sports, with articles appearing in The Daily Telegraph, The Independent, Reuters, Autosport and other publications. In 1999 he moved to Haymarket Publishing to become a senior editor at Autosport Special Projects, and one year later he became Autosport’s grand prix editor. In 2015 he moved to Motorsport Network, becoming the F1 editor for Motorsport.com. He is also a member of the Guild of Motoring Writers, and sits on the FIA Media Council.