Claire Williams committed to see team survive 'for many, many years'

Watching Williams sink to a depressed level last season saddened its many fans, but deputy team principal Claire Williams has rolled up her sleeves to lead the team out of its painful slump.

An aerodynamic flaw embedded in its FW41 meant that the British outfit was on the back foot from the outset in 2018.

Efforts to turn its fortunes around and pull its young - and inexperienced - drivers up the grid were ineffective as the team ended its campaign dead last in the Constructors' standings with just 7 points on the table.

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Beyond its dismal track performance, which also led to an internal disruption with the departures from Grove of chief designer Ed Wood, head aero man Dirk De Beer and performance engineer Rob Smedley, Williams had sponsor issues to contend with as partner Martini moved on.

For Formula 1's third most successful team, the 2019 season can't come soon enough. Whether it will be a year of revival is anybody's guess, but Claire Williams will face the fire and battle whatever comes her way.

"This is our family's team, so there is a lot riding on that," she told Racer.

"One of the reasons I took this job was to protect not just my dad's but my mum's legacy in this sport. It's a legacy that we're enormously proud of. So there's that pressure.

"And I care very deeply about the reputation of this team. I care very deeply about the people that work for us and I want to make sure that they have a team that they can be proud of and that this team survives for many, many, many years to come in our sport.

"So I have a huge personal investment, but I wouldn't be doing anything else. I love what I do, I'm very lucky to do what I do, and I actually find the challenge probably more invigorating than if we were just happily cruising around in P4 and grabbing the occasional podium."

The Williams family is obviously no stranger to uphill battles, and Claire's good genes have brought her a fighting spirit and a steely determination.

"For me, I very much actually almost liken my journey to that when Frank started the team," she added.

"We're on our uppers from a performance perspective and you have to fight hard if you're going to be successful in any sport.

"Because success is so incredibly rewarding, that success isn't easy to come by. Just ask Toto, it takes an enormous amount of hard work... luck doesn't necessarily come into it.

"I'm prepared for that and I've got my sleeves rolled up and I'm going to fight with every inch of my being in order to achieve what I want Williams to achieve, and I won't give up until I do.

"I'll go down fighting if I have to, but I will continue to fight for this team because I believe in it.

"I believe it has a place in this sport, I believe it still has a very great relevance and it shouldn't be where it is at the moment."

Everyone in the paddock would likely agree with that assertion. All hopes are now pinned on FW42, and its mission to deliver the rebirth of Williams Racing.

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