Williams doesn’t stop: other additions from Mercedes, McLaren and Alpine

Plans to recover The start of the 2026 season did not respect Williams’ plans, which after the 5th place obtained in last year’s Constructors’ World Championship was aiming for higher results than those achieved so far. Yet, step by step, the Grove company is making progress towards increasingly convincing race weekends, all thanks also to the experience and expertise of new engineers arriving from other teams. The Mercedes ‘trio’ In Miami, for example, the British team had announced the hiring of Claire Simpson, who became Head of Aerodynamic Development after twelve years spent at Mercedes. Before that, again from Brackley, Williams had welcomed Dan Miller, who in this case occupies the role of Head of Vehicle Technology. The ‘spending’ at Mercedes, despite these two very important new entries, is not over: on the eve of the Canadian GP, ​​Williams made Fred Judd official as the new Head of Performance Optimization after seventeen years spent in the Anglo-German team. McLaren and Alpine The aim of the historic English company is to become increasingly competitive again after a period of extreme difficulty, which is why new engineers have not arrived only from Mercedes. Williams, in fact, has signed Piers Thynne from reigning world champions McLaren. The role, specifically, will be that of Director of Planning and Optimization. Also not to be underestimated is the hiring of Steve Booth, in this case from Alpine. In the past, Booth held a very important role in Renault in the two-year period 2005-2006, when the French company won two world titles with Fernando Alonso. At Williams, his role will be Head of Vehicle Engineering: “I am thrilled to welcome Piers to the Atlassian Williams F1 Team, as we continue to invest in the people, processes and technology to compete at the top of Formula 1,” said team principal James Vowles, “our ambition to build a team capable of winning World Championships is clear, and Piers has unrivaled recent experience in this space. I am also delighted to welcome him to Claire, Fred and Steve: we are attracting highly talented strategic figures from across the paddock, who will strengthen the foundations we have already laid in recent years and help us reach the next level.”

Automobile Magazine – F1 English News , 2026-05-23 03:15:00