In one of the least surprising announcements of the year, Paddy Lowe has finally been confirmed as Chief Technical Officer for Williams Martini Racing.
Lowe has joined the British team today, after leaving his role as Executive Director (Technical) with world champions Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team, where he was instrumental in all three of their recent F1 titles.
The Kenyan born Brit will take on overall responsibility for the engineering operation at Grove, and will sit on the Board of Directors having taken up a share option in the company, where his involvement will be plentiful.
One of the most respected engineers in the sport, Lowe originally began his career in F1 at Williams back in 1987, helping to secure the world title for Nigel Mansell in 1992. He then enjoyed success with McLaren in the nineties and 2000’s before settling at Mercedes, where he has definitely picked up the winning bug.
In a career spanning 29 years, Lowe has helped teams to achieve seven driver’s titles, as well as five constructor’s championships, impressive statistics that clearly speak for themselves. Now back at Williams, the 54-year-old is hoping to add many more to that tally.
Having taken a short period of gardening leave since leaving Mercedes Brackley base, Lowe is looking forward to returning to the place that started it all off for him, thirty years ago.
“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.
“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’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!”
Deputy Team Principal Claire Williams was equally pleased to have someone of Lowe’s immense skill joining the squad, in an appointment that she hopes will see Williams return to winning ways..
“I am delighted that the team is welcoming Paddy back to Williams in the role of Chief Technical Officer.
“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.”
