Mario Theissen now shares the one driver he didn’t want to see leave Williams

Follow us on Google Discover

Former BMW Motorsport Director Mario Theissen has admitted he was disappointed to see Jenson Button leave Williams during his time with the team.

Theissen was interviewed on Beyond The Grid and talked about his time in the sport.

Primarily an engineer, Theissen spent his Formula 1 career working with BMW.

They teamed up with Williams and then Sauber, before pulling out of the sport in 2009.

BMW had some very successful periods during that time, with Theissen and Gerhard Berger heading up their operations.

The likes of Jacques Villeneuve, Ralf Schumacher and Nick Heidfeld drove for BMW-backed teams during their most recent stint in the sport.

They delivered wins and podiums but never a championship-winning car.

When BMW first returned to the sport in 2000, they hired a rookie driver to race alongside Schumacher.

That happened to be Jenson Button, who went on to become a World Champion himself.

However, Theissen has admitted he was disappointed to see Button leave Williams after just one season.

He went to Benetton, as Frank Williams looked across the Atlantic for his next driver.

Theissen upset to see Button leave Williams

Asked whether he and Berger had any say on who drove for Williams, Theissen replied: “We were heard yes and we offered our opinion, but the decision was always with Frank.

“I didn’t know [Juan Pablo] Montoya, I certainly knew Jenson [Button] after one season and I found it a bit sad to see him go.

“He was such a young guy, and he performed over expectations in 2000.

“But, as I said it was Frank’s decision and as we didn’t know Montoya at all, we didn’t get into it.”

Juan Pablo Montoya’s four-year spell with BMW Williams was a successful one.

In his first season, he retired from all but six races but finished in the top two four times.

He won four times with the team, including what turned out to be his last-ever race for Williams in Brazil in 2004.

Theissen may have been upset to lose Button at Williams, but Frank Williams made a good call hiring Montoya.

The Brit went on to bigger and better things elsewhere on the grid, including his incredible World Championship win with Brawn GP.