Jost Capito will take over the day-to-day running of Williams; the 62-year-old arrives with extensive motorsport experience; he also previously served as McLaren's chief executive in 2016
Thursday 17 December 2020 12:39, UK
Jost Capito has been named the new chief executive of Williams Racing and will formally join the team on February 1, 2021.
The announcement coincides with the permanent appointment of team principal Simon Roberts, who will report directly to Capito.
Capito, who in turn will report directly to Williams chairman Matthew Savage, brings a wealth of experience across four decades in motorsport and will be in charge of the day-to-day running of the company.
He returns to Formula One after a previous spell as chief executive of McLaren, and earlier in his career, he was the one-time Europe motorsport director for Ford, with links to former F1 constructor Jordan.
Speaking about his appointment, Capito, 62, said: "It's a great honour for me to join Williams Racing during these exciting and demanding times for both the team and for Formula One.
"It is an honour to be a part of the future of this storied team, and one that carries such a poignant name in the sport, so I approach this challenge with great respect and with a huge amount of relish."
Savage added: "We are excited to welcome Jost Capito as the new CEO of Williams Racing.
"He is an experienced and competitive individual, who has built winning teams and is a winner in his own right.
"He understands the Williams heritage and will work well with the team in pursuit of our objective to return to the front of the grid."
Claire Williams is confident the team's new owners have the financial firepower and wherewithal to take the former champions up the field.
In a closing of a long chapter at one of F1's most famous and successful teams, which has been family run since its launch in 1977, Williams were bought out by Dorilton Capital, an American private investment firm.
The company now own the Grove team outright, although the famous Williams name will stay on the grid.
Speaking to Sky Sports F1 at last season's Belgian GP, Claire Williams said: "We've found some new brilliant owners for this team who are incredibly passionate about Formula 1, about seeing Williams return back to the front of the grid.
"They've got the financial power in order to take it there. This is a good day for Williams. Yes, it's a new dawn, it's a new era, the Williams family no longer own it, but we've always done the right thing by this team."
