Capito made room after laying the groundwork: ‘Someone needs to survive for the long haul’

Almost two months after his departure from Williams, Just Capito spoke about his sudden departure from the team. When there was a question about whether he was fired or left on his own accord, the former team boss says he parted ways by mutual agreement. The German was no longer the right man for the project, but he saw that the British had brought in a capable replacement in James Fowles. He also talks about the very big topic currently in Formula 1: accepting new teams.

in conversation with F1 Insider Capito details his departure from Williams, which may have been unexpected to the outside world. Of course, you don’t have the insight from the outside, but I originally said that I would do it for two years, maybe for a third. But in the meantime, there are many competitions that are relatively tiring. And it will take more than two or three years to get the team back on top.” “I just think you have to lay the foundation first, and once that’s laid, you can build on it.”

For the former Williams executive, the energy was no longer there to stay connected to the project long enough in his eyes, so it was time to make room. “I was convinced that was the case now and I also communicated that to the board: Now that you have the foundation, you also need someone who will be there for a long time and who can continue from there.” So he was not fired by Williams for the performance. “We just talked because from the beginning the plan was for me to do it for two years, three at the most. So we talked about the right thing to do now and then it quickly became clear that now was the right time to hand it over.”

Williams will not be a second class Mercedes

He succeeded the departing team boss at Williams, James Fowles, who previously worked at Mercedes. So the German knows what his former team has brought. “I’ve already worked closely with James, as well as with Mercedes and their drivers. He’s very skilled, I like him very much and he’s also a good person. Of course I congratulated him. Capito isn’t afraid that Williams will switch to the Mercedes B team with the arrival of Fowles. I don’t think so, I’d rather classify it than It’s a pure people change. But we’ve always worked closely together, especially on things like engines and gearboxes. So I think everything will stay the same.

Be careful with F1 newcomers

Andretti has been fighting for months to get into F1, and with the FIA ​​announcing that new teams can sign up, the opportunity for a new team appears to be increasing, despite the fact that existing teams aren’t jumping in for it. Capito understands them. “You have to look at it, but one thing is clear: only teams that already have a concept, the right infrastructure, and also the financial background to manage it should come in. I don’t think it would be good for Formula 1 if a team came and then left quickly. That’s why Teams wishing to participate must demonstrate that they are capable of doing so.

The fact that Andretti has shown his desire to participate longer in other racing classes, such as IndyCar and Formula E, and that they are building a new factory, is not convincing enough for the German. “It’s still something different from the Formula 1 team. You have to look at the details. When I was still there (at Williams, ed.) Andretti’s contact with GM (GM, ed.) didn’t exist yet. That’s why the topic didn’t It wasn’t intense at the time that people should have been very busy with it,” Capito said, noting that since the collaboration with GM Andretti has become a more serious candidate.

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