Jost Capito was named CEO of Williams Formula 1 as part of the team’s rebuilding efforts. He will assume the role in February 2021.
Capito has served in several roles for Formula 1 teams during a career that spans four decades, including Sauber in 1996 and McLaren in 2016, where he briefly served as CEO of that organization.
Capito was recruited to McLaren by Ron Dennis, but when Dennis left his role as chairman a few months after the hire, Capito soon followed. Dennis had been with McLaren for 35 years prior to his departure.
Capito’s longest and most successful tenure was with Volkswagen Motorsports from 2012-2016. At Volkswagen, he oversaw four consecutive drivers’ and constructors’ championships in the World Rally Championship.
“It’s a great honor for me to join Williams Racing during these exciting and demanding times for both the team and for Formula 1,” Capito said in a release. “It is an honor to be a part of the future of this storied team, and one that carries such a poignant name in the sport, so I approach this challenge with great respect and with a huge amount of relish.”
Simon Roberts is named Team Principal on a permanent basis after provisionally taking the position when Claire Williams vacated the role in September after the Monza race.
Keeping Roberts on board is intended to provide stability during the time of rebuilding.
“It’s been a great experience being with the team for the last half of this season … and I’m really looking forward to working with everybody here, getting the best car we can on the grid for 2021,” Roberts said in a tweet. “”I think for the team, we’ve done the best we can this year. The car was quicker than it was last year … and we want to carry on that improvement.”
