Team boss Jost Capito and technical director François-Xavier Demaison leave Williams after it finished last in the Formula 1 constructors’ championship.
Capito led the team for two seasons after investment firm Dorilton Capital bought the team from the Williams family in 2020.
“It has been a tremendous privilege to lead Williams Racing over the past two seasons and lay the foundations for the turnaround of this great team. I look forward to seeing the team as it continues its path to future success,” Capito said in a statement Monday.
BREAKING: Team boss Jost Capito leaves Williams #F1 pic.twitter.com/hXBR1PDDp9
— Formula 1 (@F1) December 12, 2022
No reason was given for Capito’s departure. The statement included a comment from Dorilton chairman Matthew Savage that the 64-year-old German “postponed his planned retirement” when he took the Williams job.
Williams finished eighth of 10 teams in 2021, scoring its first podium since 2017, when George Russell finished second at the rain-shortened Belgian Grand Prix. After Russell left to drive for Mercedes, Williams scored just eight points in all of 2022 with Alex Albon, Nicholas Latifi and stand-in Nyck de Vries at the wheel.
American driver Logan Sargeant, who replaces Latifi as Albon’s team-mate for 2023, paid tribute to Capito for helping him develop in Formula 2.
“Jost, thank you for trusting and believing in me during my time at the academy and for helping me on my way to F1,” Sargeant wrote on Twitter. “He gave me the chance to show my potential and race in Formula 2. He has been a great team leader and I wish him the best in whatever the future brings!”
Williams gave no timeline for replacing Capito and Demaison. The first race next season is on March 5 in Bahrain.
Stories for subscribers only
Premium
Premium
PremiumWilliams has won nine constructors’ titles, second only to Ferrari, but none since 1997. The team was among the slowest in F1 and had financial problems before taking over in 2020.