Proud, Adam Parr believes that Williams can compete for the title in 2013

In March 2012, Adam Parr left his position as Chairman and CEO at Williams, where he had been the driving force behind significant changes for the British team, notably the public listing in 2011 and the development of the technological activities of the Grove-based company. Officially, the British businessman resigned to achieve a better balance in his life, according to Sir Frank Williams. However, Adam Parr himself recently revealed that he left the British team to avoid hindering the negotiations around the Concorde Agreements: “I resigned, rightly or wrongly, believing that Ecclestone had told my board that no agreement would be signed as long as I led Williams. Under those circumstances, I chose to step down so the team could make the best possible deal with him. The offer arrived the day after the announcement of my resignation,” can be read in the comic book published by Adam Parr titled *The Art of War: Five Years in Formula 1*.

Today, as possible legal action by Adam Parr against Bernie Ecclestone is being discussed, the man Frank Williams had designated as his worthy successor proudly reflects on his achievements at Williams: “What I am most proud of is having helped to financially stabilize the team and then having put together a technical team capable of winning. So, I guess you could say the 2012 Spanish Grand Prix was my best moment in Formula 1, even though I was no longer there,” he confides in an interview with Richlandf1.com. And Parr adds: “2012 is really the result of the work from 2011, even though the victory in Barcelona exceeded our expectations. But 2012 was not entirely satisfying and it is clear that there is still a long way to go. Regarding the drivers, I hated making such decisions. There is no doubt that Valtteri [Bottas] is extremely talented and the team needed to keep him, one way or another. On the other hand, I believe in Bruno [Senna]. His weakness is his lack of experience and his ability to adapt is a strength: he will continue to learn. So, I hope to see him race again in 2013.”

A few weeks before the start of the season, with the parade of presentations followed by the winter test sessions, Adam Parr appears confident about his former team’s chances: “If Williams provides Pastor [Maldonado] and Valtteri [Bottas] with a competitive car, like the one from 2012, and they both do their best at each race, then Williams can win the championship and either of them could compete for the drivers’ title. […] My best memories [in Formula 1] are those moments of silence in the paddock, after sunset, when we’ve had a good weekend and the experience has invigorated the team. Sharing those moments is the lifeblood of a team. We didn’t have enough of them, but that makes it even stronger.”

Regarding Formula 1, Adam Parr is not deluded, and while he remains hopeful, he nonetheless fears that the positive changes of 2008 and 2009 might be nullified: It was a time when people did essential things for the sport and, to some extent, put the sport before their personal interests, or at least realized that the two were identical. I hope we won’t see this spirit disappear.