Williams team boss Roberts wants to continue his job full-time

With the departure of the Williams family from Formula 1, Claire's position in the team was also released. The new owners, Dorilton Capital, have temporarily appointed Simon Roberts as team boss to the team during the transition period that is now underway. Whether Roberts can remain as team boss in the long term is still uncertain, but he is happy with it.

Not at the top of the list

The Grand Prix in Mugello was his first race and he is now on his way to his third Grand Prix as team boss, this weekend at the Nürburgring. Talking to Racer, Roberts says he hasn't really thought about it yet, but the position he now has brings him pleasure. However, he will have to talk about his future with the owners of the team.

Roberts: "I’m really, really pleased to be asked to step up. I really enjoy it and hopefully I can continue to do it for longer, but we haven’t even discussed it. It’s not the top of my list, and it’s not the top of theirs. There’s plenty of work to be done, and we’re all focused on that and focused on moving the team forwards."

Final management

Roberts also suggests that it may be some time before Dorilton has appointed a final management. This is because there is a lot going on behind the scenes. "It’s pretty busy, pretty hectic obviously. It’s a big step up, I’m very proud and honored to be asked to do it, but there’s a lot to do in the factory. We’re trying to make sure we keep the management team stable with the new owners, so that’s really important for them and the rest of the team."

Dorilton is new to the sport so they need to be thoroughly briefed on how running a team works. That takes time, but Roberts concludes by saying that they are very eager to learn and are nice to work with. They are also looking at what they need to improve in order to do better in the long term.

"There’s no quick fix here. We’re in it for the long haul, and so are Dorilton," says Roberts.