The Williams Formula 1 team announced the departure of its CEO and team principal Jost Capito on Monday.
The motorsport veteran and mastermind behind Ford’s original Focus RS and F-150 Raptor only joined Williams in late 2020 after postponing his retirement plans to join the squad following its sale to US investment firm Dorilton Capital earlier in the year.
After a slight improvement in the 2021 season, which saw the team finish eighth in the constructors’ standings, Williams fell to last place in 2022.
Capito was also briefly CEO of the McLaren F1 team in the last decade.
Williams also announced the departure of technical director FX Demaison, who was brought in with Capito. The pair previously worked at Volkswagen, where they have contributed to the automaker’s highly successful World Rally Championship campaign over the past decade, as well as the expansion of the Volkswagen R performance sub-brand.
“It has been a great privilege to lead Williams Racing for the past two seasons and lay the foundation for the turnaround of this great team,” Capito said in a statement. “I look forward to watching the team continue on their journey to future success.”
Williams plans to announce a new team boss and technical director shortly. The team also enters the 2023 season with a new driver: US driver Logan Sargeant has been selected to take the place of outgoing driver Nicholas Latifi. Joining Sargeant is current Williams driver Alex Albon.
Ferrari is another team set to take a new lead in the 2023 season. Mattia Binotto resigned as team boss of the Italian squad in November after a difficult season.
