Dorilton set out "10-year horizon" for Williams revival

Williams

Dorilton set out "10-year horizon" for Williams revival

Dorilton took ownership of the team mid-season last year

Ian Parkes & Ewan Gale

Thursday 21 January 2021 09:29

Williams team principal Simon Roberts has insisted the team is under no pressure to break into the midfield instantaneously and that Dorilton has put a "10-year horizon" on the project.

Dorilton took over ownership of the team from the Williams family after last season's Italian Grand Prix in September, bringing an end to Sir Frank Williams' 43-year involvement in Formula 1.

Whilst revealing there was still an expectation to improve from the owners, Roberts has explained that drastic advancement is a long-term goal.

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“They’re working on a 10-year horizon in terms of this as a project for them which is great," he told GPFans Global.

“That’s not to say we’re not under pressure. They expect us to improve, they expect us to deliver. There’s no free ride here but we’re up for it.

"We are a great team, it’s a great bunch of people and we’re all super competitive. None of us like being 10th in the championship. We’re all desperate to improve but we know everyone else in the pit lane is to.

“Was it the right time [for the takeover]? It was a good time. It was far enough ahead of ’22 that it will really make a difference in our preparation and in our design and development for ’22 and it will help us a little bit in ’21.

“It’s not going to change our world for ’21 but it hopefully will put us in a much, much better place for ’22.

“But there’s never a right time. If it could have been done 18 months ago, that would have been even better but it happened when it happened and really that depends on what are Dorilton’s objectives, what is their view?"

Williams made a giant leap towards competitiveness last season with near-misses for points and 10 Q2 appearances after endurung a torrid 2019 season where it languished at the rear of the field.

Roberts stated the leadership team has worked with the owners to develop a strategy and is not naive to the fact the building process will be a long road.

“If they’ve invested and wanted us to be mid-grid next season then it is too late for that but they don’t," he added.

"They genuinely want us to build, to put the right things in place, to focus on areas that will really make a difference going forward and they understand that there is no magic bullet in F1.

“We’re not here because we’ve got one thing wrong and if we fix that then suddenly we’re going to be a Q3 car, so they get that. They have been working very closely with us."