Capito: Williams has ‘everything in place’ to match McLaren’s revival

Newly-appointed Williams CEO Jost Capito is “absolutely convinced” the team is capable of emulating the revival of Formula 1 rivals McLaren.

Former Volkswagen motorsport chief Capito was announced as Williams’ CEO in December, the first key singing under owners Dorilton Capital since its takeover last August..

The move bolsters the Grove-based outfit’s management team, as it aims to end a run of three consecutive years finishing bottom of the constructors’ championship.

Although Williams failed to score a point for the first time in its history last season, there were signs from its on-track performances that it is on the up.

Having steadily declined over the V6 hybrid era, comparisons have been made to McLaren who suffered its own downfall in the mid-2010s but has since turned its form around, and finished third in the 2020 standings.

Asked if he believed Williams could mimic McLaren’s recent resurgence, Capito says “everything is in place” to make it a reality.

“McLaren has done a fantastic job in the recent years, and the answer is very short: there is no reason why we cannot do the same,” Capito said, as quoted by Motorsport.com.

“We’ve got everything in place that we can do exactly the same.

“To give a timing of that, say two, three, four years, it’s impossible to say.

“But I’m absolutely convinced we can do at minimum exactly the same as McLaren has done.”

Williams’ future was secure when Dorilton acquired a majority stake in the team and has prompted changes to its operation in the long-term.

Williams will become more closely aligned with engine suppliers Mercedes in 2022, using the German manufacturer’s gearboxes instead of its own in-house design.

With the initial pieces to its management structure – such as confirming Simon Roberts as team principal on a full-time basis – put in place, Capito revealed there would be further changes in the coming months.

“I found a lot of good people there in the management,” Capito said.

“We will restructure a bit, but it’s not announced yet. We will get some more key people on board, and we really focus on the team principal with Simon.

“To confirm him on that role and to focus on the racing activities there and representing the team is an important step for us that we can build the rest of the team around it.

“You will see some changes coming up soon.”