Paddy Lowe joins Williams as chief technical officer and shareholder
Former Mercedes technical chief to head up engineering operation at Williams and also becomes shareholder and board member
Thursday 16 March 2017 12:28, UK
Paddy Lowe, the former Mercedes technical boss, has finally been confirmed at Williams as their new chief technical officer.
After being placed on gardening leave by Mercedes in January after deciding to leave the world champions, Lowe starts work at Williams immediately and will take on "overall management responsibility for the engineering operation".
Lowe has also taken a shareholding in the Williams Group and joins the board of directors. Deputy team boss Claire Williams has described his arrival as a "game changer" for the outfit.
"I've always had a deep respect for Williams - my first team in Formula 1," said Lowe, who previously worked for the team from 1987 to 1993.
"It is a huge honour to return in this leadership position and to have the opportunity to become a shareholder. I am extremely motivated to play my part in bringing success back to the team.
"The vision for the future set out by the Williams board is powerful and has compelled me to join an organisation committed to building on its unique legacy and to reaching the pinnacle of Formula 1 once again.
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"I'm looking forward to this exciting new phase to my career working with Claire, Mike and Nick and with the rest of this great team - especially Frank himself, who is one of the most committed "racers" I know!"
Lowe succeeds Pat Symonds, now a Sky Sports F1 analyst, as Williams' chief technical officer, and Claire Williams expects him to play a key role in helping the former champions move forwards through the grid.
"I am delighted that the team is welcoming Paddy back to Williams in the role of chief technical officer," said the deputy team principal.
"Having someone of Paddy's calibre and engineering competence is not only a morale boost for everyone at Williams, but I know it will also significantly support our efforts to return this team back to the front of the grid.
"Our ambitions at Williams are unwavering, we want to win races and championships, but to do that you need the best talent in the business. In Paddy we believe we have just that as well as a leader who will drive change. This is a game changer for us and once again makes us extremely excited about this team's future."
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