Williams Racing and driver Alex Albon are bringing a family approach to rebuilding the legacy F1 ... [+]
Professional sports and the businesses that run them are constructed of ones and zeros representing the winning purse, the number of championships won, and the standings that connect everyone branded by the same insignia.
The beauty of a Formula 1 (F1) racetrack is that it ebbs and flows along a romantic series of concrete bends. The experience is underscored by the precision of a pass and the dramatic, pulse-stopping, career-defining moments under the watchful and international sun of opportunity.
Williams Racing racked up numbers in almost every racing category and opportunity under the stewardship of the team’s namesake, Sir Frank Williams, and cofounder Sir Patrick Head since its inception in 1977.
The team rocketed out of turn one, enjoying decades-long successes on Saturdays and Sundays. The British racing team won nine Constructors’ Championships and seven Drivers’ Championships during the heyday. Those days have long since left Williams Racing.
A very public depiction of the family-run, wobbly team took center stage across F1, eventually spilling into popular media with the audience-grabbing Netflix series Formula 1 Drive to Survive.
F1, the ballroom dance of motorsports, is primed to welcome back onto the stage of relevance, a team finally purged of legacy-leaning efforts that choked the engine of a group desperate to hoist championships once again.
During the fall, this reporter gained behind-the-scenes access to Williams Racing during Formula 1 in Austin. From celebrity sightings to screaming fans and raucous parties to qualifying and race day, the experience shed light on a team committed to growth over time and with intention. The following represents a snapshot of interviews and experiences during the Grand Prix in Austin.
Startup Culture
It is a new day at Williams Racing for a brand that embraces an old notion of rowing in the same direction. This time the family extends beyond a classic surname to include roughly 800 ‘family’ members anxious to define a new track forward, a new legacy to celebrate.
During the peak of Covid-19 new ownership from Dorilton Capital committed to providing a fresh outlook for a team exhausted by overindulgence or reliance on past accomplishments. And, just like a freshly minted homeowner looks at their less than sparkly purchase, deep inside, they know their purchase has good studs to build on.
Ownership recognized the studs were good, but it was also clear that the results over the last few years did little to inspire. So, from the outset, the team embarked on a quest to establish trust and reached out to famed racing legend Jost Capito to lead the charge. “I received a phone call one month before my planned retirement. You would think an out-of-the-blue call would warrant some time to consider the offer. Not for me. The chance to build Williams Racing back to prominence. It was an immediate yes for me,” recalls Capito.
Capito, known as a man of many talents in motorsports, brought key posts from Volkswagen, McLaren, BMW, Porsche, and Ford to the role of CEO and Team Principal at Williams Racing.
For those who might wonder about Capito’s energy after a rousing 30-year career littered with success, brace for impact. A child-like excitement from Capito quickly shifted to determination when he looked directly at this reporter and offered his approach. “Second is the first loser,” he emphatically exclaimed.
Down Shifting
Outside of engineering feats that attempt to shave milliseconds off of a lap, the changes at Williams Racing have been comprehensive, running through every nook and cranny of the operation. One area many within Williams knew needed an update was the brand's overall look and feel and the experience fans had with the team.
Enter Claudia Schwarz, personally appointed by Capito from their previous collaboration with Volkswagen, to assess, design, and implement an experience of the racing team rich with oxygen for the people behind the wheel, the organization, and the fan base.
Schwarz, the founder and owner of InStyle Productions, wasn’t a stranger to the automotive world, having worked as the lead agency for Volkswagen, Mercedes-AMG, and Porsche across a portfolio inclusive of lifestyle brands and campaigns emanating style and substance. After the first year of collaboration, the Williams team agreed with the direction Schwarz and her team led and named her chief marketing officer (CMO) to set the brand course forward.
The impact of Schwarz and her team was felt immediately through their Beyond Racing campaign. The mantra and driving force embodied an F1 lifestyle. It incorporated a vibe, look, and feel that connected the F1 fans to the team and the drivers to emotionally charged and memorable experiences on and off the track.
“It was imperative that we thread Beyond Racing through multiple audiences and lifestyle segments to create an emotional connection to Williams. We knew at the outset that our vision needed to bring life to the experience of the brand. We consciously integrated our vision to represent everything our brand connected to from esports to art, to fan engagement and hospitality, to fashion, style, nutrition, and our collective racing heritage,” shares Schwarz.
Measuring Success
It can be difficult to see point totals for Williams. The adage, the only way to go is up, applies to this last-place team. Capito wants the pain of losing to sting, so that future wins are that much sweeter.
“Losing is a whole-body experience for me,” explains Capito. “Losing and winning, for that matter, should only be felt for a couple of seconds, and then it’s on to the next. There is no value in prolonging the feeling. Either way, the adrenaline shock is addicting, and that’s why I’m here.”
The Williams team is poised to put a roster together for next season where hope for a top-10 start evolves into a top-10 finish mindset.
“We must define what we want to achieve, and if we do, then that is a success. We understand where we have come in at in the standings, but getting championship points – that’s our initial goal, and then we build from there,” states Capito.
New Experiences
The team is built, the captain has the con (see Gene Hackman in Crimson Tide), and the vision of Schwarz’s Beyond Racing has taken hold, positioning Williams as the next cool kid in F1 for 2023.
Professional sports transitions are often programmatic and scripted. And some might contend for good reason.
The reality is that Williams, quite abruptly, went through succession planning on the fly with one singular objective: to establish a connection with tried-and-true fans of the famed team while laying out the ingredients for a new, updated look and feel for a new generation of fandom.
A passionate following of fans that embrace the personalities behind the wheel and in the garage has already lapped previous experiences with the Williams team.
Fans are discovering the updated legacy through iconic sportspeople like William’s ambassador, senior advisor, and 2009 F1 World Champion Jenson Button.
Others are joining the team at electric fan zone experiences. Check your vitals for sensory overload from the most talked about the event outside of the race in Austin, laid down by the savant of rhythms, DJ Cassidy.
DJ Cassidy brought friends Robin Thicke, Wyclef Jean, and Shaggy to perform with him at the Williams ... [+]
Cassidy’s inclusion into the Williams experience in Austin marked a new path for an old team with youthful exuberance. The Williams party was the talk of pit row the following day, almost guaranteeing a raised expectation for race parties next season.
Natural Transitions
The brand has been as intentional as the evolution of the driver roster. Change in any business, let alone one fashioned as a startup, comes quickly, even if planned for behind closed doors. Schwarz’s recent departure from day-to-day operations as chief marketing officer signifies a brand, in strategic comfort, understanding the rhythm and impact of going Beyond Racing.
The strategic roll-off maintains continuity with Schwarz’s agency running point from the pole position.
“I always believe creativity maintains a thriving pulse when leaders understand a job is complete. This transition celebrates the incredible collaboration I’ve had with Williams Racing and the results that have created amazing opportunities,” reports Schwarz.
She adds, “This turnaround wasn’t easy, but it has been enriching to see the brand of Williams gain value across the world. A good leader should never rely on past accomplishments when looking to the future. A new voice can now take the reins. I will, of course, miss my Williams team, but I’m excited to watch how our successes lead to a prosperous 2023.”
The glowing forecast from Schwarz could also easily be applied to on-the-track developments.
Logan Sergeant’s emergence and ultimate activation as a Williams driver for the 2023 season signals a vibrant next step in reacquiring the equivalent of market share for the team. Capito’s commitment to the drivers reflects a professional family dynamic that understands racing and success are about much more than final tabulations.
Williams CEO Jost Capito takes a father-like approach to Williams driver Alex Albon and the entire ... [+]
“For me, it is about creating a father-son relationship knowing that there will be difficult times. I have to create a sense of home so that each driver, different in personality, can feel at home with what we are working to accomplish,” says Capito.
Williams driver Alex Albon believes the family-like nature of Williams Racing is an asset for him and Sergeant. “Racing has always been a family affair for me. My father was with me when I was a little kid racing on a figure-eight track on a nearby farm. My experience with Williams and Jost, in particular, is the same. He is a father-like figure for us,” shares Albon.
F1 is poised to enter a golden period of sport in the U.S. with the glitz, glamour, and exclusivity required by any cultural phenomenon to take hold and sustain relevance over time.
If the points-deprived Williams team can rebrand and electrify the watercooler talk of a single race, then the outlook is quite bright for both the sport and team reacquainting one another with a past love they share.
In a short amount of time, Williams has reconfigured the look, feel, and experience of a team rooted in family accomplishments. The 2022 season, by all accounts, proved a massive success for the team and the sport of racing.
And, while Austin may have hosted the F1 Aramco United States Grand Prix this year, the groundswell of chatter surrounding a historical team marked an overdue rebirth primed to host victory celebrations in the future.
In the spirit of competition, it’s good to remember the one enduring call to action Capito uses at the close of every team meeting:
“Let’s Go Racing!”
Interviews have been edited and condensed for clarity.
