Harman will join the team as design director after the end of August. Richard Frith, also ex-Alpine, will take on the role of head of performance systems from next year. Both individuals will report to Pat Fry, chief technical officer, who joined Williams from Alpine in November last year.
Fabrice Moncade, previously from Ferrari, will join as chief engineer next week. Juan Molina, coming from Haas, will take on the role of chief aerodynamicist on July 15th. Steve Winstanley, who has 14 years of experience with Red Bull, has been appointed chief engineer of composites and structures.
Williams announced that these new hires are part of a larger group of 26 recruits who will join throughout the year. Among them are four individuals from Red Bull and 10 from Alpine. The team emphasized their focus on strengthening the aerodynamics team with 11 new hires and the design office with 13.
Team Principal James Vowles expressed his excitement in welcoming these six talented individuals to Williams. He stated, “We are determined to regain our position at the front, and the fact that we are able to attract experienced talent and champions from other teams is a testament to belief in our journey.” Vowles also mentioned that this is just the beginning as they will have more new faces joining from across the grid in the coming months.
Fry added, “Williams Racing has ambitious goals and strong momentum, and the addition of these exceptional recruits demonstrates that this project is attracting top talent. We are further enhancing the immense talent in Grove as we build for the future.”
A Williams, former Formula 1 world champion, has not won a race since 2012 and a championship since 1997. Currently, they occupy ninth place in the standings, with only two points in 10 races. The team recently extended the contract of Thai driver Alex Albon and expressed interest in hiring Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz, who will leave his seat at the end of the year to make way for Lewis Hamilton. (Report by Alan Baldwin)
All five individuals mentioned will be part of the technical team led by Pat Fry, who joined Williams in November.
