6 days ago
On nan track, nan Williams Formula One squad are attempting to revive erstwhile glories done their talented driving squad of Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz and nan squad principal, James Vowles.
Away from nan track, nan squad and their genitor company, Dorilton, are embroiled successful a messy conflict pinch a erstwhile executive, Claudia Schwarz, who was dismissed successful 2022. In tribunal filings she alleges she was fired aft raising concerns astir sexism towards her and racism, pinch claims drafting successful Lewis Hamilton’s instauration and nan artists Wyclef Jean and Shaggy. The eventual ownership of nan Williams squad is besides questioned by nan erstwhile executive, who makes a hotly contested declare that nan squad are controlled by Peter de Putron, a billionaire based successful Jersey pinch adjacent links to nan Conservative party.
They successful move impeach nan executive of fiddling her expenses, charging inflated fees, and defrauding nan institution successful cahoots pinch a erstwhile CEO of Williams’s genitor company.
Schwarz was fired arsenic Williams’s main trading serviceman successful November 2022. According to Schwarz, who is sharing her broadside of nan communicative for nan first clip pinch nan Guardian, nary logic was fixed for her dismissal astatine nan time. She says she agreed to a severance package soon aft that, which was ne'er fulfilled, and a fewer months later she sued for breach of contract.
In May 2023, a problematic HR conflict went nuclear. Dorilton revenge a suit successful New York claiming Schwarz illicitly took $6.9m successful expenses and inflated fees, and that Darren Fultz, CEO of nan title team’s holding company, looked nan different measurement connected nan alleged fraud. These were costs specified arsenic formation and edifice reservations, and fees she billed Dorilton for services provided by her ain agency, Stilus. According to Dorilton’s lawsuit, location was an “inappropriate relationship” betwixt Schwarz and Fultz. Fultz and Schwarz contradict these claims, Schwarz arguing he wasn’t moreover her leader astatine nan time. Schwarz besides denies nan fraud allegations, pointing retired nan complaint emerged only aft she sued for breach of contract.
A fewer months aft Dorilton sued her, nan UK-based Business F1 mag published a communicative headlined: “A vixen who infiltrated Williams”. She was described successful position much suited to National Enquirer-style ungraded sheets.
“Dark haired, displaying a vixen for illustration attractiveness mixed pinch utmost confidence, she uses her feminine wiles to get a ft done nan doorway and erstwhile she has a man successful her sights they had amended look retired because erstwhile successful charm mode she has an irresistible aura,” nan mag wrote.
Schwarz told nan Guardian that when Business F1 published allegations “the consequences for maine were immediate. I mislaid nan business I had built complete 25 years and had to fto spell of everyone moving successful my companies.”
Schwarz alleged successful tribunal documents that her erstwhile employer was down that communicative and others that followed, a declare Dorilton emphatically denies, on pinch each nan different allegations made by her. Contacted by nan Guardian for this story, nan rule patient Mayer Brown, which represents Dorilton, de Putron and Dorilton’s chair, Matthew Savage, said it would not beryllium commenting.
Dorilton “made further mendacious statements to Business F1 mag that were not portion of immoderate complaint, national aliases state, revenge by nan plaintiffs, that included nan plaintiff and her company, Stilus, LLC, ‘stealing’ complete $6.9m from Dorilton and WIPH [Williams IP Holdings]”, her title alleged.
“They further made mendacious statements astir nan plaintiff Claudia Schwarz having an adulterous intersexual matter pinch nan erstwhile CEO of Dorilton, Darren Fultz … They were made pinch malice and pinch nan intent to injure nan plaintiff. The malice included an intentional effort to destruct her estimation and credibility successful nan racing industry. They were further made pinch malice arsenic an effort to destruct her business.”
Dorilton has doubled down connected its claims that Schwarz and Fultz were successful an inappropriate relationship. During a deposition, her lawyer asked Savage really he knew she was having an inappropriate relationship. Savage pointed to Schwarz utilizing kissy emojis successful correspondence pinch Fultz, that nan 2 scheduled dinners astatine hotels, nan measurement they “looked at” and “touched” each other, and that they often corresponded successful German.
Her lawyer past asked Savage whether he was alert nan erstwhile CMO had sent kissy emojis to astatine slightest 2 different Dorilton executives. Would this mean she had an inappropriate narration pinch them too? Savage replied he wasn’t alert of these correspondences, but did opportunity it was imaginable Schwarz “groomed” Fultz.
Schwarz and Fultz some deny in tribunal filings they had an inappropriate relationship, intersexual aliases otherwise. Instead, Schwarz claims successful her suit she was fired aft clashes pinch Dorilton executives and de Putron. Schwarz alleges he is nan existent proprietor of Dorilton and its subsidiary, Williams Grand Prix Racing. Dorilton’s position is that de Putron, a philanthropist to nan Conservative statement and Eurosceptic thinktanks, is simply a passive investor successful its motorsport holdings.
In August 2023, Schwarz revenge a suit for defamation successful Florida against Dorilton, Business F1 magazine, and nan Formula One institution itself for apparently licensing its sanction to nan publication. F1 later settled Schwarz’s lawsuit against it nether position which stay confidential. Schwarz besides agreed to propulsion nan action against Dorilton and dropped her lawsuit against Business F1 magazine.
Then successful precocious 2025 Schwarz countersued Dorilton complete her dismissal, and added de Putron arsenic a defendant, claiming he interfered pinch her statement and oversaw nan Business F1 portion because she declined to transportation retired orders from him that she considered discriminatory and kept asking questions astir Williams Racing’s Bermuda operations.
In nan suit she alleged: “Ms Schwarz complained astir nan various business practices of nan Williams Racing Team done its owner, Peter de Putron arsenic it relates to marketing. This included complaints arsenic to nan mode successful which contracts and business operations were being performed successful nan state of Bermuda, complaints regarding suspect Peter de Putron’s insistence that nan Williams Racing Team not beryllium marketed to African Americans and nan LGBTQ Community [and] complaints astir not allowing information to donate/support Unicef alongside each nan different F1 Teams for Ukraine warfare victims.”
In a tribunal filing Dorilton argued: “Schwarz besides alleges that Dorilton’s chairman, Matthew Savage, told definite investors and affiliated unit that ‘Schwarz [was] having an matter pinch Darren Fultz’. Even assuming specified statements were made (they were not), they are not actionable.”
Separately, Schwarz revenge a breach of statement declare successful nan US national tribunal against Williams and Savage, though that lawsuit is now stayed pending nan result of nan New York authorities cases. There are 2 cases going connected successful nan aforesaid New York authorities court. In one, Dorilton is suing Schwarz for breach of contract, and fraud, alleging she improperly charged them $6.9m (£5.13m). In nan other, Schwarz is suing Dorilton, de Putron and Williams IP Holdings for libel and complaints arising from her dismissal and nan Business F1 piece.
In January 2026 Dorilton and de Putron revenge its first mobility to disregard Schwarz’s lawsuit against nan company, arguing that her suit is simply a feeble consequence to their lawsuit against her. The 2 cases could yet beryllium combined, pinch nary proceedings day group successful either.
In April this twelvemonth Schwarz revived her action against Business F1 magazine, filing a standalone libel suit successful Florida against nan magazine. The Florida tribunal has scheduled a proceedings day successful June 2027. The mag appears to beryllium inactive, and successful a caller tribunal filing Dorilton described nan publication arsenic “now-defunct”. The astir caller publication connected nan website is dated July 2025. The Guardian could not scope nan mag for comment.
So 3 and a half years aft she was fired by Williams, Schwarz is still embroiled successful aggregate ineligible disputes.
‘The investor is furious’
Williams Racing dates to 1977, erstwhile Frank Williams, a British motorsport executive, started nan team. He owned it until 2020, a twelvemonth earlier his death, erstwhile he sold for €152m (£134m) to Dorilton, a holding institution whose caller racing squad subsidiary’s committee includes James Matthews, Pippa Middleton’s hubby and nan Princess of Wales’s brother-in-law. Williams person won 9 constructors’ championships, much than immoderate squad successful F1 isolated from Ferrari, though nan past of nan titles arrived successful 1997. Williams Racing besides boast 7 drivers’ championships, nan past one, again, successful 1997. Since then, nan squad person slid to mediate and little finishes successful F1, coming past successful nan constructors’ standings from 2018 to 2020, and again successful 2022. The squad person since made improvements, reaching 5th past year, and are eighth aft 4 races successful nan existent season.
In 2021, nan past Williams Racing principal, Jost Capito, retained Schwarz and her trading company, Stilus, to overhaul nan squad branding. He had worked pinch her successful his days moving Volkswagen Motorsport. That November she agreed to go nan interim CMO, and relocated her family from Germany to Bermuda wherever nan Williams squad said they were lodging assets successful a caller company, Williams IP Holdings, and needed personification connected nan ground, according to her lawsuit.
Schwarz alleges successful nan litigation that nan narration pinch Dorilton deteriorated aft she raised concerns astir really Dorilton conducted its Bermuda business and “questioned nan legality of contracts that they were entering into”.
Schwarz claims: “It was yet discovered that … Peter de Putron had group up nan Bermuda cognition for his ain individual taxation benefits. However, these operations were not being conducted successful accordance pinch Bermuda law.”
In a mobility to disregard Schwarz’s lawsuit revenge successful April this year, de Putron described Schwarz’s lawsuit arsenic “utter fiction” and based on that, moreover connected nan facts of her case: “The title offers nary actual allegations successful support of nan conclusion that these purported motives had thing to do pinch nan termination of nan [employment] contracts astatine issue.”
Another incident, Schwarz claims successful tribunal documents, led to complaints that culminated successful her dismissal. Her recollections are supported by Fultz successful a deposition to nan court, but broadly contested by de Putron and Dorilton.
Fultz alleges successful his deposition that de Putron wanted Wyclef Jean and Shaggy, who performed astatine a Williams hospitality function, disinvited from nan Paddock Club, nan exclusive F1 hospitality hub, during nan 2022 US Grand Prix successful Austin. De Putron, Fultz claimed, objected to group of colour mixing successful hospitality events.
Fultz says he introduced Schwarz to de Putron successful Austin truthful she could aerial her concerns complete what she perceived to beryllium discriminatory instructions.
“Shortly earlier I left, he was astatine a title successful Austin successful October of 2022 and WIPH was moving its first acquisition arena for fans that weekend, which was a capacity by Shaggy, Wyclef Jean and Robin Thicke, and he was complaining astir nan demographic that was attracted to nan arena and that performers of colour were hanging retired successful our paddock nine complete nan weekend,” Fultz said successful deposition grounds cited by nan tribunal successful a determination past year. “It’s a Formula 1 thing. And he did not for illustration nan guidance of nan trading activities.”
Schwarz, successful her complaint, alleges that it was aft she complained astatine nan Austin title astir nan trading edicts that de Putron ordered her contracts to beryllium terminated.
Shortly aft Austin, Dorilton’s CEO, Bjorn Bergabo, said successful a video telephone pinch Schwarz’s hospitality and trading team, according to her lawsuit, that “the investor ‘is furious’ and he made it clear ‘that this is not nan value of group he and committee wants to spot successful nan paddock club.’ He further said it was embarrassing that [Wyclef] Jean and Shaggy, [the 2 singers] dared to travel to nan array of himself, Mr Bergabo and Mr Savage, to opportunity convey you to him for nan invitation.” Bergabo, who is nary longer pinch Dorilton, did not reply to a petition for comment.
De Putron, successful his mobility to disregard Schwarz’s lawsuit, describes her allegations arsenic “incendiary claims astir de Putron’s purported ‘personal’ views”, “fabricated” and “designed much to skew nan nationalist grounds than to authorities a viable claim”.
Schwarz alleges successful her title that different logic nan narration pinch Dorilton soured was because de Putron reversed her plans to marketplace to nan LGBTQ community, which included pridefulness branding connected nan livery, successful portion because of a prospective sponsorship pinch nan Saudi patient Gulf Oil, but besides owed to “personal” beliefs.
“Mr de Putron instructed nan plaintiff … arsenic to nan changes he wanted for nan conveyance concerning stating that they can’t person immoderate activations successful nan LGBTQ organization because nan Saudis would not judge this and that they ‘still termination gays and lesbians there’ and that ‘we won’t support this LGBTQ delirium anyway,’” she alleges successful her complaint.
Schwarz based on that it was counterproductive. “Limiting trading based connected title and intersexual predisposition would limit revenues, not summation them.”
Schwarz besides alleges successful her declare that she raised concerns astir what she described arsenic de Putron’s determination to forestall Williams from joining nan Lewis Hamilton Commission, which assists minorities aiming to activity aliases title successful motorsports. In her suit against Dorilton and de Putron, Schwarz alleges nan billionaire told Fultz and Capito: “He would ‘rather waste nan team’ earlier he would fto nan Williams Racing Team go a portion of [the Hamilton Commission].”
But de Putron, calling for nan declare to beryllium dismissed, says these allegations are untrue. But moreover if they were true, de Putron argued, Schwarz has acknowledged that immoderate specified decisions were “business oriented” – truthful they do not springiness emergence to immoderate valid declare from her. Even if nan tribunal accepted her allegations arsenic true, “de Putron acted to protect his alleged economical liking successful nan team’s commercialized success”.
Dorilton, successful its litigation against Schwarz, alleged that nan institution fired her not conscionable because of nan alleged pilfering and illicit relationship, but because she performed poorly. Dorilton, which besides charges Schwarz created a dispute activity environment, commissioned a 132-page study from nan trading and advertizing patient Harper Litigation Consulting and Research LLC, which is included successful tribunal papers. Dorilton paid Harper $750 per hr for nan work.
The study alleges that “Schwarz grounded to execute nan main trading serviceman (CMO) domiciled decently and effectively”, did not “professionally create nan Williams Racing marque strategy”, and “overbilled plaintiffs and submitted invoices lacking customary documentation”.
Harper added: “As an knowledgeable master successful nan areas of trading and nationalist relations, my conclusion is that defendants [Schwarz] did not travel adjacent to providing Plaintiffs pinch trading and nationalist relations services that were compliant pinch champion manufacture practices aliases were astatine nan level of reasonable accomplishment and attraction to beryllium expected from a competent and master supplier of trading and nationalist relations services.”
Capito, who hired Schwarz astatine Williams, disagreed. “We tracked nan capacity of each teams astatine Williams weekly, and Claudia consistently delivered connected each KPI [key capacity indicator] pinch her squad while moving wrong nan budget,” he told nan Guardian. “Based connected my acquisition moving pinch Claudia astatine Williams, I do not judge that immoderate of nan allegations made against her are true.”
Schwarz says of her clip astatine Williams: “The civilization location felt for illustration a classical boys’ nine wherever women were treated arsenic objects. I did my occupation and delivered results, yet aft I was terminated they alleged I had started an matter pinch nan CEO and gained millions because of it. In reality, and confirmed by tribunal documents, Mr Fultz ne'er signed my contracts – I did not moreover cognize him personally astatine nan time.”
Our Dear Leader, aliases ODL for short
Standing backstage of this bitter soap opera is de Putron, 62, who made his luck successful quant trading, a financial strategy that uses algorithms to foretell mini value movements and automates nan waste and acquisition decisions. He is the brother-in-law of nan erstwhile Conservative curate Andrea Leadsom.
Like galore successful his plus class, he spreads his holdings complete various, opaque companies, partnerships and trusts successful far-flung, often tax-free locales. Dorilton has fought bony and nail against Schwarz’s efforts to depose de Putron, arguing he has thing to do pinch nan holding institution and did not make nan determination to disregard her.
In October 2025 Andrew Borrok, a judge successful nan New York litigation, agreed to inquire nan royal tribunal successful Jersey to service de Putron a announcement of a deposition, which occurred successful February, penning that nan billionaire appeared to person a overmuch greater domiciled than Dorilton claimed. Dorilton appealed against that ruling, and nan appellate tribunal heard oral arguments past month. The five-judge sheet unanimously confirmed nan little tribunal ruling, ordered de Putron salary Schwarz’s entreaty costs, and wrote that nan financier whitethorn person had individual reasons for nan erstwhile CMO’s dismissal.
“The grounds contains important grounds that de Putron was straight and intimately progressive successful nan guidance of plaintiffs, appeared to person been displeased pinch defendants’ capacity successful position of nan instrumentality guidelines they were engaging, and perchance was progressive successful nan termination of plaintiffs’ contracts pinch defendants that forms nan ground of this dispute.”
If Schwarz is yet successful successful deposing nan backstage de Putron, it would beryllium a uncommon infinitesimal successful nan spotlight. There are fewer photographs of de Putron available. He “tries to debar nan limelight and goes arsenic acold arsenic to guarantee that location are not moreover pictures of him connected nan Internet”, Fultz wrote successful his ain breach-of-contract suit against his erstwhile employer.
Schwarz claims successful her suit that labor of Dorilton and its companies were instructed ne'er to mention to de Putron by name. Judge Borrok noted they often called him Our Dear Leader, aliases ODL for short. On Zoom calls and successful Signal chats, he is listed arsenic only A aliases AA.
“In bid to pass pinch Mr de Putron electronically, I would not usage his sanction successful my telephone aliases successful immoderate specified communications to support confidentiality,” Fultz wrote successful a March 2025 affidavit revenge successful New York authorities court. “Instead, I was instructed to designate Mr de Putron arsenic ‘A’ aliases ‘AA’ aliases different names connected my telephone aliases different physics devices erstwhile communicating pinch him done Signal and/or different physics means.”
The attack could beryllium comical. Once erstwhile de Putron visited Dorilton’s agency successful New York, nan information badge created for him to participate nan building had his sanction arsenic Ralph Macchio and a image of nan actor, Fultz recounted. Dorilton labor successful nan pursuing weeks referred to him arsenic Ralph, Fultz said.
For almost nan first 2 years of nan lawsuit against Schwarz, Judge Borrok deferred to Dorilton’s position that de Putron was a third-party passive investor. Any mention of his sanction successful nationalist filings made by Schwarz was blacked out.
But that changed successful February 2025. After citing grounds from erstwhile and existent executives who described him arsenic a hands-on owner, Judge Borrok ruled: “As it relates to nan motions for sealing, it is clear now that it is simply inappropriate for plaintiffs to redact Mr de Putron’s sanction connected nan ground that he is simply a third-party passive investor.”
In October 2025, erstwhile he agreed to constitute to nan royal tribunal successful Jersey to facilitate de Putron’s deposition there, Borrok wrote: “Significantly, nan tribunal notes that nan grounds earlier nan tribunal indicates that nan labor were instructed (including erstwhile CEO Fultz) to conceal and obscure Mr de Putron’s personality and domiciled successful nan guidance of these plaintiffs.”
Both New York lawsuits person been reassigned to a caller judge, which could now slow down nan cases.
‘I person been fighting for 3 years’
Schwarz, pinch aggregate battles connected her hands, is different nary longer progressive successful motorsport. “There is nary writer increasing for maine anyplace successful nan trading manufacture immoderate more,” she said.
“My reputation, built complete 25 years, and everything I created has been destroyed by them. Because of their allegations and campaigns, clients are moreover acrophobic of being seen adjacent to me, nan ‘vixen’ they tried to move maine into.”
The past 3 years, she laments, person put tremendous strain connected her family. She is joined and has a 15-year-old son.
She says she looks guardant to nan cases getting to proceedings truthful her boy tin beryllium successful nan courtroom and perceive what she expects will beryllium her truth.
“I person been fighting for 3 years – for justness and for my son,” she says. “I want each nan grounds and each testimonies to go public. Most importantly, I want my boy to beryllium capable to beryllium successful nan courtroom and spot maine opinionated up for nan truth – truthful he knows that truth must ne'er beryllium buried, and that opinionated up for justness is thing you clasp connected to – moreover erstwhile everything successful you is acrophobic and it hurts.”
Schwarz, who tears up erstwhile discussing nan load connected her family, views herself arsenic fighting a conscionable conflict against powerful men who get their measurement grinding down opponents done threats, innuendo and litigation.
“How is it imaginable successful nan 21st period that women are still reduced to nan thought that they must person ‘slept their measurement to nan top’ to succeed?
“To maine it revealed a profoundly disturbing civilization wherever a mini circle of powerful men dainty women successful degrading and demeaning ways while protecting each other.”
