“As a B team, you will never be world champion” – Williams boss Jost Capito confirms they did not go against Mercedes’ wishes by signing Alex Albon from the Red Bull family.
Williams is on a resurgence path this season, scoring points on a regular basis lately, with Mercedes-bound George Russell living up to his tag of ‘Mr. Saturday’, and also winning a podium.
Former Red Bull driver Alex Albon is set to replace Russell next season, with Williams favouring him over Mercedes’ candidate and reigning Formula E champion Nyck de Vries.
This apparently upset Mercedes, but Williams team principal Jost Capito has clarified they did not select a Red Bull driver because they want to move away from the shadow of Mercedes.
“[It] shows and confirms that we are not a B-team.
“It’s not important for us to send this message to anybody, it’s just that it shows that we really do what is best for the team and we decide it within the team. We are not driven by anybody else than ourselves.
“That this message goes then outside it’s obvious, but we did not do that because of the message.”
Williams want to be a title-winning A team
Mercedes counts the likes of past and prospective champions McLaren, Williams, and Aston Martin as their partners. But it is highly unlikely they can win the constructors title from the noses of Mercedes, something Capito acknowledges.
“As a B team, you will never be world champion.
“And if you make yourself dependent on any other company or any other team, then you will never win the world championship and you will not be credible within the team with having this message.
“With that you give up on being world champion. And you just say you want to be part of the show. That’s it.”
