Capito keeping communication open with Williams family

Williams CEO Jost Capito says he has kept the communication channels open with the team's former management during his current settling in period.

Capito was entrusted with the role of chief executive of the Grove-based outfit by Dorilton Capital which acquired the team from the Williams family last summer.

The German aims to steer Williams into F1's new era which shall be ushered in next season following the sport's regulation overhaul.

But for now, Capito is still getting acquainted with his new environment and colleagues, and during the process the 62-year-old former VW motorsport boss has stayed in contact with former deputy team principal Claire Williams and the team's co-founder Patrick Head.

"I am in contact with both, with Claire and with Patrick," Capito told Motorsport.com's Dutch edition. "I've known Claire for a few years now and Patrick I've known for a long time.

"It's not that I'm trying to extract background information from them about this or that. We talk about things I want to know, things I need to know. I have a very good relationship with both."

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Williams has opened a new chapter in its over forty-year history and faces a new dawn, supported by Dorilton's ambitions and financial clout.

But Capito was quick to realize that the family spirit and tight-knit atmosphere sewn into the fabric of F1's third most successful team since its inception are key assets that must be protected moving forward.

"Since I was unable to attend Grove, I arranged meetings from half an hour to 45 minutes. Meetings via Teams, video calls with all managers," he explained.

"I have now done more than fifty and I have asked everyone the same time and time again. One question was, "What should we cherish and why?"

"And the answer was invariably - whether new co-workers or people who have been there for a long time - that Williams is all about family, how we treat people, how people are treated, and how we work together.

"I was really happy to hear that from everyone, because that's my management style.

"You have to operate as a family. That doesn't just mean fun times. We all have family and not every day is fun. But it does mean a very strong bond: you do everything for your family."

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