CLAIRE WILLIAMS Doubled Female Workforce While Earning 15 F1 Podiums as Team Boss

March 7, 2025

• CLAIRE WILLIAMS didn’t just run a competitive F1 team – she fundamentally changed how it operated. Over seven seasons leading Williams, she delivered 15 podiums (third-highest among team principals during that period) and guided the squad to two third-place championship finishes, all while transforming the workplace culture for women.
• The numbers tell the real story of progress: when WILLIAMS took over in 2013, women made up just 9% of the workforce. By 2020, that figure had more than doubled to 19.5%. She didn’t stop at hiring – she eliminated the gender pay gap, created maternity/paternity policies that actually worked, and established the ‘Women at Williams’ network to help female employees thrive.
• WILLIAMS credits much of her drive to her mother Ginny, the unsung architect behind Williams’ iconic brand and the financial mastermind who kept the team afloat during lean years. While Sir Frank gets the glory, CLAIRE makes it clear: “If it wasn’t for her, a lot of people say Williams wouldn’t have existed.” That same behind-the-scenes strength guided CLAIRE through her own challenges, including navigating pregnancy as a team principal in 2017.

formula 1, team management, williams racing, workplace diversity