The Tough Choice: Claire Williams on Keeping George Russell Away from Mercedes

In an exclusive interview with Tom Clarkson on the F1 Beyond The Grid podcast, former team principal of Williams Racing, Claire , opened up about the challenging decision she had to make regarding George Russell’s move to Mercedes. Established by her father, Frank , in 1977, Racing was under Claire’s leadership from 2013 to 2020 before its sale at the end of the year.”

Russell’s Desire for a Move to Mercedes

Russell joined Williams in 2019 for his rookie Formula 1 season and remained with the team until the end of 2021. During this time, he expressed a strong desire to join Mercedes, a wish that left him visibly upset. explained, ‘George really wanted to go to Mercedes, and it was one of the hardest parts of being team principal for me. I’ve watched this season, and George is on a different level. This is what I think you see with drivers; they tip into that zone of just absolute superstardom. And George is there now.'”

Mercedes showed interest in signing Russell for the 2021 season while he was still under contract with Williams. His impressive performance during the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix, where he stepped in for seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton after a COVID-19 diagnosis, further solidified his appeal to the Brackley outfit.”

The Negotiation Dilemma

Williams continued, ‘When you go into a negotiation with a team like Mercedes and they’re not offering what they should be for your ace, who is an A-star driver, not just your A-star driver, then why would you just let him go?’ She stood firm, ‘What kind of team principal would I have been if I’d have just let George go cause Mercedes said, “We want George now.” That’s not how it works, is it? A driver’s midway through contract, and yet another team, the big brother comes along. No, sorry, he’s my driver.'”

The Difficult Conversation with Russell

Reflecting on the conversation with Russell at that time, Williams added, ‘George really wanted to go to Mercedes, and it was really difficult. It was very hard to stand my ground because if someone comes to me and they’re upset and it’s because of me—because I’m a blocker or whatever I’m doing—it’s really hard, you know?’ However, she prioritized the team’s interests over Russell’s dreams.”

Williams emphasized, ‘I had to put my team first. You know, it wasn’t just about… it couldn’t just be about George. As much as I would have loved to have made George’s dreams come true, I couldn’t at the time.’ This decision, she admitted, was one of the hardest parts of being a team principal for her and went against her natural inclination to please people.

Russell eventually signed for Mercedes in 2022. He secured his maiden F1 race win at the Brazilian Grand Prix the same year. Currently, Russell is partnered with Italian rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli, and the pair have earned 141 points for their team this season. Mercedes is currently second in the constructors’ standings behind McLaren with 246 points.”