[Team] Williams: Do they have a spare tub?

[bjohnsonsmith]

All very interesting about Stroll and the ownership of Racing Point but if Williams continue the rest of the season, at the back of the grid and I think they will, what then? Do they call it a day and if that happens, what then for Formula 1 and a diminished grid?

[GTRMagic]

Originally Posted by bjohnsonsmith

All very interesting about Stroll and the ownership of Racing Point but if Williams continue the rest of the season, at the back of the grid and I think they will, what then? Do they call it a day and if that happens, what then for Formula 1 and a diminished grid?

No reason to consider that Williams will not keep operating... just at the level they are at if nothing changes.

[crmalcolm]

Originally Posted by peebee2

Lol again.

Really difficult to have a sensible discussion if posts have to start with a mock....

[peebee2]

Originally Posted by crmalcolm

Really difficult to have a sensible discussion if posts have to start with a mock....

Ok, sorry for that. But it’s Stroll’s team. Speak to anyone who works there about who’s in charge. (Anybody else in the world wouldn’t have chosen Lance as a driver.)

[crmalcolm]

Originally Posted by peebee2

Ok, sorry for that. But it’s Stroll’s team. Speak to anyone who works there about who’s in charge. (Anybody else in the world wouldn’t have chosen Lance as a driver.)

No worries.

Agree about who has the influence over the team, it's ran in a manner that recognises Stroll as the boss.

Legal ownership is slightly different though.

It does raise the question though - at what point does a family team stop, and a business start?

Ferrari, Jordan, Sauber - are/were they a family team?

I feel that is some of the issue with Williams - they are too reluctant to separate running a successful team/business from maintaining Frank Williams' heritage.

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by GTRMagic

No reason to consider that Williams will not keep operating... just at the level they are at if nothing changes.

If nothing changes, would Rokit want to continue sponsoring a team that's running at the back of the grid? I don't think so. It's bad marketing and it's bad for brand image.

[chillibowl]

perhaps, but Rokit got in when Williams were already at the bottom so i cant imagine it bothers them that much. i would think they like the value they get for money relative to how much it would cost them to sponsor a front running team.

Claire gets a hard time (perhaps deservedly so) but she seems to have her father's savvy in attracting sponsors so if Rokit leave i imagine she will find another to replace them.

in fact one could even say the areas where her expertise can be brought to bear (marketing, sponsorship, communications) are not the areas where the team struggles.

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by chillibowl

perhaps, but Rokit got in when Williams were already at the bottom so i cant imagine it bothers them that much. i would think they like the value they get for money relative to how much it would cost them to sponsor a front running team.

Claire gets a hard time (perhaps deservedly so) but she seems to have her father's savvy in attracting sponsors so if Rokit leave i imagine she will find another to replace them.

in fact one could even say the areas where her expertise can be brought to bear (marketing, sponsorship, communications) are not the areas where the team struggles.

I don't doubt that it is cheaper, than sponsoring a top team. However, Rokit signed up in February, before the problems surrounding Williams's testing at Barcelona in March, surfaced.

[chillibowl]

no doubt there was still hope at the time that Williams would improve but Rokit still knowingly signed with a last place club.

to be honest though, as far as these newly branded mobile/streaming services go (just assuming thats what they do), im sure they will have a name change, get bought out, go bankrupt well before the Williams team goes the way of the dodo.

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by chillibowl

no doubt there was still hope at the time that Williams would improve but Rokit still knowingly signed with a last place club.

to be honest though, as far as these newly branded mobile/streaming services go (just assuming thats what they do), im sure they will have a name change, get bought out, go bankrupt well before the Williams team goes the way of the dodo.

Indeed but when they signed, they weren't expecting the fiasco of Williams's testing to unfold and the subsequent problems that have since arisen, within the team.

[S griffin]

Well Williams needed some sponsor and it’s a shame the testing problems started and they then have since got worse

[chunterer]

Some rumour about Mazepin thinking of buying the team (on gp.com).
Not sure that's the right way forward in terms of ownership even if money worries go away...

[V8 Fireworks]

Originally Posted by bjohnsonsmith

All very interesting about Stroll and the ownership of Racing Point but if Williams continue the rest of the season, at the back of the grid and I think they will, what then? Do they call it a day and if that happens, what then for Formula 1 and a diminished grid?

Of course not. Williams F1 are financially secure, for now, so they can keep racing for quite some time until such a time that is no longer the case and unserviceable debts have accrued...

[P38 in workshop]

To an extent I agree with the last comment.I can't entirely agree because since Williams issued shares as a public company,they have to abide by the standards required in the market.On the other hand having to be paragons of virtue compared to the old days might be their salvation-at least in business terms.

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by V8 Fireworks

Of course not. Williams F1 are financially secure, for now, so they can keep racing for quite some time until such a time that is no longer the case and unserviceable debts have accrued...

For now and as long as their sponsors are happy to keep footing the bill but that won't last, if they are permanently at the back of the grid.

[Last2LiftOff]

Originally Posted by bjohnsonsmith

For now and as long as their sponsors are happy to keep footing the bill but that won't last, if they are permanently at the back of the grid.

Brings to mind some satire from Sniff Petrol on the topic.

Gong glory for family firm favourite

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by Last2LiftOff

Brings to mind some satire from Sniff Petrol on the topic.

Gong glory for family firm favourite

[billy bleach]

So now there is another Billionaire who wants his son in F1 on the horizon - this time he is Russian - what’s the definition of insanity ? Oh yes making the same mistake time and time again....

[Armco Bender]

Pays the bills though.

[VIVA GT]

I see that on the Autosport website (https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/14...s-not-for-sale) that Claire Williams is categorically denying that Williams GP is for sale.
Usually this type of denial in F1 only means one thing: Williams GP is up for sale!

[S griffin]

Well they’ve always been reluctant to, how long will they hold out to?

[GT6]

Well after today they must be running out of cars

[djinvicta]

If you look deeply into the profit and loss accounts of Williams (and all its different associated Companies), it's a great Business that makes huge profits, so to suggest they struggle..is actually untrue. The Race Team may, but is propped by sponsors and other engineering Williams associated Companies many have not heard of. They are fine...as a huge Group.

[JacobP]

Originally Posted by djinvicta

If you look deeply into the profit and loss accounts of Williams (and all its different associated Companies), it's a great Business that makes huge profits, so to suggest they struggle..is actually untrue. The Race Team may, but is propped by sponsors and other engineering Williams associated Companies many have not heard of. They are fine...as a huge Group.

A team that consistently finishes in the back of grid will eventually lose its prize money, as well as sponsors. Somehow they need to pay their bills. And then they will go the way of the Team Lotus. At some point it was unbelievable that Team Lotus could disappear, but it happened.

[Moneyseeker]

Originally Posted by djinvicta

If you look deeply into the profit and loss accounts of Williams (and all its different associated Companies), it's a great Business that makes huge profits, so to suggest they struggle..is actually untrue. The Race Team may, but is propped by sponsors and other engineering Williams associated Companies many have not heard of. They are fine...as a huge Group.

CW has recently said that Williams AVE are no longer able to support the F1 team, so they will be totally reliant on FOM income and sponsorship, which makes the next two years pretty crucial surely?

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