Claire Williams on Losing Williams F1: ‘I Have No Memory of That Meeting' (E336)

Before we get started, let me tell you you can now listen to High Performance Add Free. Start your free trial now on Apple, Spotify, or head to our website so you can listen to our episodes uninterrupted. I did used to kind of almost walk around with my head down in those last few years because I was embarrassed. I felt ashamed. My mum died, I took over Williams, I buried my head in the sand. When Williams was sold, I've looked after my dad. And then when my dad died, it was like there's nothing left. There's something magical about Formula One. You can't quite describe it. I felt very at home in it. I felt it was my place in my family. How lucky am I that I got to grow up in that world. That is the voice of Claire Williams, the former boss of the legendary Formula One team, Williams Racing. I'm Jay Comfrey and before creating this show.

I spent the number of years hosting Formula One's TV coverage. In that time, I got to know Claire as she rose up the ranks of the team from press officer to taking full charge. in twenty fourteen. In this conversation, Claire explains about her emotional first race as boss in the wake of her mum's funeral, how in her mid-thirties she had to carry the weight of the Williams name whilst facing social media criticism and doubts from some people in the paddock. She explains what happens on the inside as a Formula One team starts to unravel. How she finally had to accept it was over. How she's turned to therapy to find happiness once more.

And while losing the team. Final days with her dad. I left this conversation knowing more about Claire than I ever have, and I know you'll find it revealing as well. Not just about her life, but life inside Formula One as well. We also cover how Total Wolf helped her get her job as team principal, how she convinced one person to lend her twenty five million pounds.

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