Chez Williams, the 2023 Formula 1 season will be without Jost Capito and François-Xavier Demaison. The two leaders, the first CEO and team manager and the second technical director, have indeed left Grove at the end of the 2022 season, as revealed in a press release from the team on Monday, December 12.
“It has been a huge privilege to lead Williams Racing over the past two seasons and lay the foundations for the turnaround of this great team.”commented Capito. “I look forward to watching the team as they continue to move forward towards future success.”
In great difficulty for several seasons, Williams began a restructuring in 2020, following the purchase of the shares of the Williams family by Dorilton Capital. Jost Capito, former head of competition at Volkswagen, was then recruited to lead the team. A few months later, François-Xavier Demaison, who also worked for the German manufacturer, was hired to take charge of the technical department.
For Williams’ second season in the Dorilton era, in 2022, the team have shown a better face than in previous campaigns without coming out on top in the midfield battle. Alexander Albon, Nicholas Latifi et Nyck de Vries accumulated eight points, which translated into tenth and last position in the constructors’ championship at 27 points behindAlphaTaurithe closest rival.
Matthew Savage, Chairman of the Board of Dorilton Capital, added: “We would like to thank Jost for his hard work and dedication as we embarked on a major transformation process to revive Williams Racing. We are grateful to Jost for postponing his retirement in order to meet this challenge. he will place orders for the next step in this process. We would also like to thank FX for their contribution and wish them the best for their future.”
In its statement, Williams said the names of the new team principal and technical director would be announced. “on time”. And Capito is not the only director to leave this year. A few days ago, Mattia Binotto resigned from his position as director of the Scuderia Ferrari following a disappointing season for the Prancing Horse.