Williams family to end F1 involvement with team after Italian Grand Prix

F1

The Williams family will bow out of Formula 1 following this weekend's Italian Grand Prix, with Claire and Frank Williams stepping aside as deputy and team principals respectively

Claire Williams, Williams Racing 2020

Claire and Frank Williams will end their invovlement in the F1 team

Peter Fox/Getty Images

Claire Williams will leave her role as Williams deputy team principal following the conclusion of the Italian Grand Prix this weekend, which will be the final race for the Williams family in Formula 1.

Both Claire and Frank Williams will retire from their respective positions, ending the historic involvement of the family in F1 after 43 years and 739 Grands Prix. It comes after the team was purchased by US-based investment firm Dorilton Capital last month.

In a statement released by Williams, following strategic review meetings the decision was made to begin a new chapter in the team’s storied F1 involvement that has seen it win seven drivers’ and nine constructors’ championship titles.

“With the future of the team now secured, this feels like the appropriate time for us to step away from the sport,” Claire Williams said.

“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.”

With Dorilton taking over, the new owners revealed that a period of review had taken place that focused on the long-term future of the Williams team in Formula 1.

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Williams has committed to another five years in the sport having signed the new Concorde Agreement, covering the 2021-2025 seasons.

Claire Williams took over the day-to-day running of the team in 2013.

“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.”