Jost Capito: “FX Demaison is the ideal person for Williams”

What will your first months have been like? Whole grained ?

I listened a lot! I held 45-minute one-on-one meetings with each of the top 50 managers on the team. Unfortunately I wasn't able to do them one-on-one due to Covid restrictions, but it was extremely informative nonetheless.

I also organized group meetings to have the chance to speak to each person on the team. The exercise only strengthened my confidence in the company.

You announced the recruitment of François-Xavier Demaison to the position of technical director. Was it important to find someone from outside the ecosystem of the F1 ?

It actually matters a lot. He is a brilliant engineer who worked for almost ten years in close collaboration with Willy Rampf (former Sauber technical director. Editor’s note) in WRC and, more particularly with him, on the ID.R project (Pikes Peak record. Ed.). So “FX” has that kind of experience and learned a lot from Rampf. He is the perfect fit for Williams.

When is he supposed to arrive at the Grove facility?

Just after Easter. Since the United Kingdom left the European Union, we Europeans have needed work visas which require, among other things, a three-hour English test which I also had to take, and passed (Laughs). FX has also passed it and should be with us within two weeks.

The pressure exerted by the 2022 program on the technical teams will complicate its integration. Will his learning about men and Williams culture have to be done at a running pace?

First, Williams' tech team is working pretty well, and it's not like he's on a mission to rebuild everything. Second, FX is a hard worker.

He's a workaholic and as I know him, knowing he had a chance of being asked for the job, I'm absolutely sure he spent a lot of his free time understanding F1 and the regulations that govern it. I know he is in close contact with Willy Rampf and is very well prepared.