“We are well funded and this is known” – Williams CEO Jost Capito has revealed there is a lot of interest to replace George Russell after he makes the switch to Mercedes.
Williams are on the up after Dorilton Capital invested in the team, taking over the team from the family. But with George Russell set to join Mercedes, Williams have their task cut out to find a worthy successor.
Jost Capito, the CEO and team principal, has listed down the main criteria for potential drivers. The criteria – the replacement should not aim to become a world champion straightaway. Clearly, the team is keener to be back amongst the midfield runners first.
“The main thing is, we want to have the best drivers that are available and interested to drive for Williams and interested in doing the job for Williams.
“It’s not definitely the driver who wants to be World Champion next year. For us, he would be in the wrong team.
“We need drivers who are willing to support the team, to get the team back, to lead the team and to improve performance. At the moment, we can see the interest in drivers to get to Williams is increasing.
“I would say it’s because of the positive steps we’ve done recently. I think we are well funded and this is known, and we are getting the steps in the right direction. We are working hard to continue that and this makes Williams an interesting team for a driver to be there in the future.”
Mercedes wish to place their Formula E driver and #F1 Reserve Nyck De Vries at Williams for 2022, according to rumours. This would confirm George Russell’s departure.
Williams themselves look to be targeting Bottas, Hulkenberg, Kvyat or Ticktum alongside Latifi.#TheFormula pic.twitter.com/dESfhEHzNC
— The Formula (@TheFormulaHub) July 21, 2021
Nico Hulkenberg to Williams?
Hulkenberg is the ‘super-sub’ of the grid currently and is the strongest contender to join his former team. Capito, though, has chosen to remain tight-lipped when asked if he has an edge over Valtteri Bottas.
“I think at the moment we do not exclude any driver who would be available next year. Nico is available for next year, so we’ve got quite a long list.”
