F1 | Capito calls on Williams to remain focused in the battle for eighth in the constructors
Williams team principal and CEO Jost Capito has called on the Williams team to retain their focus in the fight for eighth place in the constructors championship, arguging that the fight between the Grove based team and Alfa Romeo and Haas isn't over.
Williams team principal and CEO Jost Capito has stated that the battle for eighth in the constructors' championship between Alfa Romeo and Haas is far from over, calling on his team to remain focused, as the second half of the season begins with this weekend’s Belgium Grand Prix.
After nearly two years without points, Williams finally scored at the Hungaroring, with Nicholas Latifi finishing a career-best seventh place ahead of George Russell in eighth, with the Grove-based team jumping ahead of Alfa Romeo into eighth place in the constructors' championship.
But despite this recent success Capito, said to F1.com that the battle for eighth is far from over, stating that the team can’t take a step back with half of the championship still left to go.
“Ten points is not massive; It’s not over; this kind of race can come again, and then there is the chance for Haas and Alfa Romeo to do a result like this. So we can’t step back and not be focused on anymore.”
“If there is again an opportunity to grab points, we have to be spot on and make sure we grab the points. That’s the focus of Alfa Romeo and Haas too. We are not safe to be eighth as we still have half of the championship to come.”
Capito also said that the team’s first double points finish since the 2018 Italian Grand Prix has given the team's personnel a mental boost after two years of struggling at the back of the grid, with the team also set to potentially gain an increased amount of prize money if they manage to finish the season in eighth.
“There is a financial difference between 10, nine and eight, and there is a mental difference for everyone in the team. If you are always the last team in the pit lane, the paddock, it’s not nice for anybody. If you move up from that, it gives a boost to the team.
“It’s a relief for the team to get the points after that long wait, after that long time – we’re talking about two years – at the beginning of year, there was a feeling of, will we ever be in position to get points with this car, as we didn’t have the chance to further develop the car significantly. We were not sure we could get points.
