Paddy Lowe has joined the Williams F1 team as chief technical officer and shareholder. The former Mercedes technical chief had officially begun working with the team last Thursday.
Lowe officially left Mercedes last season. He officially left in January, but discussions started as early as December of last year. It was speculated for quite some time that he would join Williams but the deal took longer than expected to complete. Now, there is official confirmation that he has started at his new post.
According to a report by the BBC, the former technical chief first joined Mercedes in 2013. He became its executive technical director and helped the team achieve three consecutive drivers' and constructors' world championships.
His contract was set to expire at the end of 2016. Reports say that they failed to agree with new terms, so he decided to return to Williams. In a previous report, it was discussed that one of the reasons they could not agree on terms was because Lowe was too ambitious for the team. In his place, the current world champion has recruited James Allison who is Ferrari's former technical director.
In the past, Lowe worked for Williams in the late eighties until the early nineties. He played a vital part in developing the active suspension system that was used on the car Nigel Mansell drove to win the 1992 F1 world title.
The former technical chief said: "I've always had a deep respect for Williams - my first team in Formula 1. 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."
In another report by Sky Sports, the site stated that Lowe succeeded Pat Symonds. The latter is now a Sky Sports Formula 1 analyst. Claire Williams, the deputy team principal, expects Lowe to play a crucial role in helping the former champions advance through the grid.
Williams F1 team under Paddy Lowe will hopefully get interesting. How will Williams do this season and how will Mercedes fair with James Allison? Share your thoughts and comments below.
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