Sir Frank Williams’ son says Toto Wolff made one decision at Williams F1 he could never ‘understand’ before joining Mercedes

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The glory days of Williams Racing may be in the past, but team principal James Vowles is responsible for leading the team back to where they will feel they belong.

Long before James Vowles took the helm, the team was led by Sir Frank Williams and Patrick Head.

Their first race as a constructor in 1978 saw Alan Jones fail to finish the Argentinian Grand Prix, but it’s safe to say their fortunes quickly improved.

Just two years later, Williams won the drivers’ and constructors championships with Jones at the helm and it began one of several periods of domination in Formula 1.

The likes of Keke Rosberg, Nigel Mansell, Damon Hill and Jacques Villeneuve owe their only Formula 1 titles to the team, but after the Canadian driver’s victory in 1997, the good times haven’t returned to the Grove-based team.

Pastor Maldonado is Williams’ most recent winner, and over the years Williams’ had to slowly hand over parts of his team to others to help him run a successful constructor.

Toto Wolff bought a minority stake in Williams in 2009 before eventually selling his final shares in the team seven years later.

The Mercedes team principal made some key financial decisions that Frank Williams’ son Jonathan Williams still questions to this day.

READ MORE: All to know about Williams Racing from team principal to Mercedes ties

Frank Williams’ son questions Toto Wolff making Williams F1 a public company

Williams was being interviewed about his father’s team on The Intercooler Podcast and explained, “It’s not one occurrence, the thing that really nags at me was that there was a certain person running a certain German-owned Anglo-based Formula 1 team that knows more about it than I do, but why Williams ever became a public company in 2010, 2011, I still…and the executives that came along later, none of us really quite understand that or the bones of it.

“And then the way that a PLC has to be structured, the type of management… so perhaps the way the management decisions were being made.

“I mean it was no longer like we touched upon with Adrian Newey, it was no longer just Dad, and Patrick [Head] and pure racers, it was businessmen.

“Some of them that actually came into these roles were just fantastic guys with phenomenal careers behind them, but you would come into Williams off the back of a phenomenal career in legal or finance, never even been to a racing track, and then five minutes later you’re making strategic sporting and technical decisions because you’re on a board of a PLC and that’s how it happens.

“As it sort of filtered through into the factory, it was like, well, this is c—.”

READ MORE: All you need to know about Mercedes F1 CEO and team principal Toto Wolff

Williams making small steps towards their Formula 1 glory days under James Vowles

The current Williams F1 team are still a long way off from achieving what the team did with Williams and Head in charge.

However, Vowles has made a positive impact over the past few seasons and their most recent result in Miami was the first time in years where one of their drivers has finished ahead of a Ferrari purely on merit.

Carlos Sainz is aware that Williams are concentrating on 2026, making what they’re doing this year even more impressive.

Martin Brundle believes Alex Albon is in the form of his life and all the signs are pointing towards Williams being a serious contender next season and beyond.

The debate will rage on as to whether Wolff’s intervention at Williams did more harm than good, but for the first time since Valtteri Bottas and Felipe Massa were their drivers, the team look equipped to join the top echelon of Formula 1 manufacturers.