Dorilton Williams was seen the team always forced into considering pay drivers simply as their budget did not allow for salaried drivers. Williams has had a history of late of being reliant on drivers with significant financial backing. This would see the likes of Stroll and Latifi joining the team primarily for this reason. However 2020 saw the arrival of Dorilton with its increased backing. This is also tied to the arrival of F1’s cost cap and revised commercial rights income which have also assisted the team in improving their financial situation. What does this mean for the drivers that the team could consider for 2022 well it means that they no longer necessarily need to look at the paying driver options.
Current Williams Team Principal Jost Capito spoke of how the Williams team is in a great position of being able to choose who they want for 2022 as compared to a driver line-up that satisfies a financial consideration. Capito explained: “I think we at Williams, we are in the position that we solely decide on the drivers. We are not dependent like in the past on somebody, a driver who brings money. We have a long-term plan to get back to the top, and we have to choose the drivers that fit into that plan. We are just thinking about this. Of course everybody can talk to us, but the decision is with us. I think every driver who hasn’t got a fixed seat for next year, or has an option for next year, is talking to us at the moment, it is the most aspired seat in Formula 1 right now for a team that has to fill a seat.”
