“He wanted to go”- Former Williams’s Dy team principal Claire Williams recalls how she lost George Russell to Mercedes

TOI Sports Desk / TIMESOFINDIA.COM / May 9, 2025, 09:15 IST

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Claire Williams revealed her struggle to retain George Russell at Williams, despite Mercedes' interest. She prioritized the team's stability and Russell's contractual obligations, believing his stay would ultimately benefit him. Williams acknowledged Russell's disappointment but stood firm, emphasizing the importance of resilience and team loyalty over immediate personal aspirations.

“He wanted to go”- Former Williams’s Dy team principal Claire Williams recalls how she lost George Russell to Mercedes

Former Williams’s Dy team principal Claire Williams recalls how she lost George Russell to Mercedes (Image Source: Getty)

With Mercedes F1 driver George Russell almost making it big for himself, podium after podium, the former Williams’ Deputy Team Principal, Claire Williams, recently opened up about how she had tried retaining Russell, but he had plans of joining Mercedes.

Claire Williams says George Russell wanted to go to Mercedes

George Russell had joined F1 in 2019 but didn’t score points early with Williams. While Mercedes was interested in racing Russell, alongside Lewis Hamilton, Claire Williams didn’t want to let him go.

Operation Sindoor

She believed Russell was a top driver and stood firm to keep him at the team for as long as possible.While speaking on F1’s Beyond The Grid podcast, Claire revealed:

“George wanted to go to Mercedes in that last couple of years and I couldn't let him go and I hated that, It makes me upset to think about it. I needed him, I felt, more than Mercedes and he was in contract. If I let him go, what message would that have sent? What would that have done to my team if I'd have let George go?”She said:

Claire Williams: Proud of Williams' Progress | F1 Beyond The Grid Podcast

“He was one of the greatest things that we had at Williams. When you go into a negotiation with a team like Mercedes and they're not offering you what they should be for your A-star driver, then why would you just let him go? What kind of Team Principal would I have been if I'd have just let George go because Mercedes said, ‘we want George now’. That's not how it works, is it?”

Claire Williams says George Russell was upset

Claire Williams explained that it was a difficult time in her life, knowing that George Russell was upset, and while she had to stand her ground, she couldn’t see him be more upset. She said:“[George] was clearly upset 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, it's really hard – but I had to put my team first.“As much as I would have loved to have made George's dreams come true, I couldn't at the time, and that was one of the hardest parts of being a Team Principal for me. And I always said to George: you will be grateful for this one day because it will build resilience in you, it will build strength.”Also Read: Mercedes driver George Russell introduces his dream car worthy car worth $2.7 million, shares drool-worthy pictures of the blue beauty

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TOI Sports Desk

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