Williams Sale: ‘Claire Will Be Gone Next Week’, Dutch Racer Claims

The Dutch race car driver also claims that Claire has made some “bad decisions” during her tenure as deputy team principal.

It was announced on Friday that Williams Racing had been sold to US investment firm Dorilton Capital, bringing an end to the constructor’s family owned era.

And now, a Dutch race car driver has claimed that Claire Williams will swiftly be relieved of her duties as deputy team principal as she is no longer the boss’ daughter.

“If all goes well, Claire will be gone next week,” Renger van der Zande said in a recent episode of the Formula 1 Café of Ziggo Sport talkshow.

“It’s just that she is the daughter of the boss, that’s why she had priority. But that is no longer the case now,” he added, insisting there is no reason for Dorilton Capital to keep Claire around.

Van der Zande also claimed that she made some “bad decisions” during her tenure as deputy team principal, but failed to elaborate.

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He didn’t say who he thinks should be brought in to take over the reigns at Williams, but stressed that having managerial and technical talent is important to success in Formula 1.

“Mercedes could get success in F1 by buying the best people away from other teams everywhere. That’s the trick. It’s a people sport.

“If you have the right people on board, you can get far. If you put them together, you’ll be fine.”

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At this point, it should be stressed that Van der Zande, who competes in the WeatherTech Sportscar Championship with Wayne Taylor Racing, has no ties to Williams whatsoever, so his comments should only be taken as pure speculation.

The official line from Dorilton Capital is they recognise the value of Williams’ heritage and brand, and they are yet to provide any indication that they plan on making high-level personnel changes.

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