28/04/2015
NEWS STORY
Claire Williams says her father, team founder Frank Williams, has no plans for retirement.
Speaking in the wake of the announcement that the Grove outfit lost £42.5m in 2014, deputy team principal Williams said her father, who established the team in 1977, will basically keep going until he drops.
"Frank's team principal, always has been, always will be, until we find him one day face down on the desk," she said, according to the Guardian.
"Frank is in there 24/7," she continued. "He's in the office more than any of us. He loves it, he's passionate about it. Frank is there, he always will be and he has no plans to retire. It wouldn't be the same without him."
Tetraplegic following a road crash in 1986 as he made his way to Nice Airport following testing at Paul Ricard, Williams, who was knighted in 1999, still runs the team which has won 7 drivers' titles and 9 Constructors' Championships.
Following a number of years in the F1 doldrums, the Grove outfit is now on the ascendant, thanks to some typically canny recruitment, which in turn led to a major change of team structure, the decision to use Mercedes engines and an exciting title sponsorship deal.
However, the team is taking nothing for granted.
"We have to work harder and smarter to make sure we work efficiently," said Williams, according to Reuters. "It is not how much money you spend - Toyota spent £500m and never won a grand prix - but the shape and structure of your organisation and how efficiently you operate.
Responding to claims that the Martini sponsorship deal was undersold, she said: "We are more flexible in our approach than certain other teams, but that's not to say that we ever undersell ourselves. There's commentary that Martini may have been undersold. Well, no. Not at all. We can't do that because we can't afford to do that."