Claire Williams is determined to keep Williams’ recent upturn in fortunes going in 2016 to remove the ‘underdog’ tag that many apply to the team.
Williams rallied from finishing no higher than sixth in the constructors’ championship between 2008 and 2013 to end the past two years in third place, taking the fight to many of Formula 1’s biggest teams.
Deputy team principal Williams is on a mission to stop people using the term ‘underdog’ when talking about her father’s operation, saying that it understates the effort put in by all at Grove.
“I hate the expression ‘underdog’. We have always been regarded as that,” Williams said at a Sport Industry Group event earlier this week.
“I don’t think you can call a team that’s won 16 world championships an underdog. One of my other missions is to try and eliminate, eradicate this badge we have of ‘underdog’ because I actually think it can be very demoralising for the people that work for you.
“We have 550 people and I have to try and inspire those people to go out and give blood, sweat, and tears, because that’s what it takes if you are going to win in sport.”