Peter Windsor: Former Williams Team Manager talks F1, previews the Japanese Grand Prix

All eyes are on Japan this weekend as Liam Lawson races for the first time since his demotion from Red Bull Racing. 

The Kiwi driver has lost his seat in the Formula 1 team two races into the season, being replaced with Yuki Tsunoda for the Japanese Grand Prix.  

Former Williams Team Manager Peter Windsor told Mike Hosking the problem with motorsport and F1 today is that it's very data driven. 

He says everything is done according to data and telemetry overlays from the driver in the other car, and there’s just too much information.  

“Liam's a very natural racing driver, and he just needs to be allowed to get out there and race.” 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
If One Circus back in business after a week off.
Liam Lawson's been the talk of the paddick.

Speaker 2 (00:03):
Of course.

Speaker 1 (00:04):
He lines up in Japan this weekend with his old
Racing Bulls team now Peter Windsor been around if One
for years, worked with Ferrari, was team manager for Williams's.
Where there's Peter morning, Good morning to you, Good evening
from Spain. What's your verdict on Lawson? Hard done by
or is he being looked after by his team?

Speaker 2 (00:24):
I think he's been pretty well looked after, to be honest,
because we've seen drivers in this situation in the past
struggling a bit, things haven't worked out and they just
got completely dismissed from the team. They don't drive again.
They've never seen again in Formula One. I mean. The
good thing about Red Bull it is quite a big
family and they've got these two teams and here he is,

(00:45):
you know, rebooting back at Racing Bulls, which is not
a bad thing anyway, because they've probably got a better
car at the moment than the A team anyway.

Speaker 1 (00:52):
Yeah, exactly what's your view of him as a driver
outside looking in where of course all obsessed in the
side of the world.

Speaker 2 (01:00):
Yeah, I'm sure you are. The New Zealand has got
a great Formula One heritage. I got to say, I
mean a massive fan of everything that you know New
Zealand had done in Formula One over the years, from
Bruce McLaren to Chris aim and anyway. To get to
the point, he first got my attention when he was
in Formula three and I remember watching him in the
semi wet in a race in Hungary I think it was,

(01:22):
and his car control was just sublime, beautiful to watch.
I remember thinking then, Wow, this guy's good, and that
sort of followed him and I did an interview with
him on my YouTube channel You're not long afterwards, and
I was always a fan and still am a fan.
Really a great car control, very spectacular driver. I think
the problem today is that Formula One and motors Board

(01:47):
in general, Formula one in particular is very very data driven,
very very digital, and it's lost its ability to allow
a driver just to go out and drive on gut feel.
Everything is done according to data and telemetry overlays from
the other driver in the other car, and I think
it sort of sucks the wind out of you as
a driver, and we saw that with Daniel Riccardo. I

(02:08):
think when he went to Reno and McLaren he wasn't
the same drive that he'd been at Red Bull, and
I think it's that with Liam. I think he's not
just he's not just going out and driving the car
as Liam Mawson wants to drive it. He's looking at
what Max for Stappen's doing on the data. He's looking
at this, he's looking at that, and I think that's
a great shame. But there are so many people in
formal A one with the jobs with important titles, most

(02:28):
of them managers of something. They've all got to justify
their existence, and it's all too complicated. There's too much information.
And you know, Liam's a very natural racing driver and
this needs to be allowed to get out there and race.

Speaker 1 (02:40):
I enjoyed your insight, Peter. Listen, let's get you back
on again soon. Peter Windsor, former IF one team manager,
because for no other reason, what Williams are doing at
James VAL's at the moment is fantastic. So Peter Windsor
once worked for Williams. Good insight to the Japanese IF
P one and P two, by the way, practice one
and practice two from Japan this afternoon.

Speaker 2 (02:58):
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