Harman will be joining the team as the design director following the August shutdown. Richard Frith, also formerly of Alpine, will take on the role of head of performance systems starting next year. Both individuals will report to Pat Fry, the chief technical officer, who joined Williams from Alpine last November.
Fabrice Moncade, previously with Ferrari, will be joining as the chief engineer next week. Juan Molina, coming from Haas, will assume the position of chief aerodynamicist on July 15. Steve Winstanley, who has 14 years of experience with Red Bull, has been appointed as the chief engineer for composites and structures.
Williams announced that these new hires are part of a larger group of 26 recruits who will be joining 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 about 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, championship-winning talent from other teams is a testament to the belief in our journey.” Vowles also mentioned that this is just the beginning, as they have more new faces joining from across the grid in the coming months.
Fry added, “Williams Racing has ambitious goals and a strong momentum, and the addition of these exceptional recruits demonstrates that this project is attracting top talent. We are further enhancing the already immense talent at Grove as we build for the future.”
Williams, a former Formula 1 world champion, has not won a race since 2012 and a championship since 1997. They currently hold the ninth position in the standings with only two points from 10 races. The team recently extended the contract of Thai driver Alex Albon and has expressed interest in recruiting Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz, who will be leaving his seat at the end of the year to make way for Lewis Hamilton. (Reporting by Alan Baldwin)
All five individuals mentioned will be part of the technical team led by Pat Fry, who joined Williams in November.