Williams F1 deputy team principal Claire Williams had a fitting response to critics, who blamed the team’s downfall on Williams’ motherhood. Williams revealed that a portion of the paddock wrongfully pinned the blame on her – when the latter gave birth.
Claire Williams joined the team as a communications officer in the early 2000s. The Briton rose through the ranks to become head of communications before becoming deputy team principal in 2013.
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The team went through a revival period in the early stages of the turbo-hybrid era, finishing a solid third. However, in recent years, Williams has only been a shadow of its former self. The Grove-based outfit had on its worst seasons in F1 in 2019, scoring a single point.
A section of fans and F1 pundits have pinned the blame on Claire for the teams’ downward spiral. Famed F1 commentator Martin Brundle even advised Williams to step down and take on a minor role within the team. However, some in the paddock took their criticism a bit too far.
“I have had someone say to me that a lot of people in the paddock think the team started doing badly when I became pregnant and had a baby. How dare they. Woe betide me if I walk down the paddock holding my child”
“The fact that Williams are not doing well is not because I have a child.”
“There are nine other team principals in F1 and I am sure the majority of them have children. Would you ever level that criticism at them? Am I not allowed a child because I am a woman running a Formula One team? It is a disgraceful attitude — very 19th Century.” said Williams.
Williams was also vocal about women being treated differently in the workplace. The Briton called for changes to the workplace – including avenues outside F1.
The British team have had a positive preseason test. In contrast to 2018, The team completed a respectable amount of laps in testing. The Grove-based outfit hasn’t run into any major issues so far, aside from a few engine troubles.
George Russel hailed the FW43’s performance and claimed it was far better than the 2019 car, which was often 2 seconds off the pace.
