» Paddy Lowe joins Williams

Paddy Lowe has joined as the new Chief Technical Officer of the Williams Martini Racing Formula 1 team.

Lowe will assume overall management responsibility for Williams’ engineering operations. In addition, will also join the company’s board of directors and take a shareholding in the company. The exact percentage – and source – of the shareholding was not disclosed, however the team’s parent company Williams Grand Prix Holdings PLC will be required to do so given its listing on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange.

Lowe’s appointment was widely expected following his departure in the off-season from the Mercedes AMG Petronas team, where he held the position of Executive Director (Technical) since June 2013 where he spearheaded the team’s current dominance of the Drivers’ and Constructors’ World Championship titles.

His move to Williams brings his career full circle, for it was with the team that his Formula 1 career began back in 1987 when he joined the team as a control systems engineer reporting to Patrick Head and Adrian Newey. His six-year stint with the team saw him help pioneer the active suspension system on its FW14B chassis that took Nigel Mansell to the 1992 World Championship title.

He moved to McLaren in 1993, spending two decades with the team in roles such as its Head of R&D, Chief Engineer, Engineering Director and finally as its Technical Director. His time with the team saw it secure three Drivers’ Championship and one Constructors’ Championship title.

Paddy Lowe is returning to Williams

“I‘ve always had a deep respect for Williams – my first team in Formula One. It is a huge honour to return in this leadership position and to have the opportunity to become a shareholder,” Lowe said.

“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 One once again.”

“I am delighted that the team is welcoming Paddy back to Williams in the role of Chief Technical Officer,” added Deputy Team Principal Claire Williams.

“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.”