Williams was moved: "I didn't realise it would have such an impact"

These were not Williams' best years under Claire's reign. In 2014 and 2015 the team had a short revival with Valtteri Bottas and Felipe Massa and came third in the constructors championship. Since then it has only been downhill and 2018 and 2019 were some of the worst years in Williams' long history.

Speaking to The Race Claire Williams looks back on the departure of the Williams family from Formula 1. "I was truly overwhelmed by the reactions. I didn't realise it would have such an impact". Williams thinks it is a good time for the family to take a step back. "I certainly feel it is the right time for me. I'm really proud of my role and everything our family has done in Formula One. I'm also enormously grateful because it has been a great journey that we've been on for almost five decades."

Recognition

The messages that Williams received after the announcement of her departure gave her a fine feeling of recognition. "What I would like to be reminded of is the fact that I inherited the team when it had three terrible years and it was brought back to two-thirds and two-fifths places under my leadership. And when we were back on our knees, we were able to bring the team back and we laid a solid foundation on which to move forward. That is underestimated.”

Forever in her heart

Despite the difficult times of the team, Williams still loves to look back on her time with Williams. “I never felt that the team was a weight on my shoulders or a millstone around my neck, I always considered it an enormous privilege. I did it to the best of my abilities. And people might say, well no, she didn’t. But nobody knows a load of stuff that went on behind the scenes over the past three years in particular, and what we were having to deal with." So she still feels a lot of love for the team. “I know that I always will. It will always remain in my heart in dad’s and my brother [Jonathan’s] heart," Claire concludes.