Williams poach long-time Mercedes figure for key role

Williams has announced that Dan Milner will become the team's new chief engineer for vehicle technology.

He joins after a two-decade association with Mercedes, including 14 years with the team. 

"I’m thrilled to be joining Williams F1 Team as chief engineer across vehicle technology," Milner said upon confirmation of the switch.

"After 20 years of association with Brackley, it’s the right moment to take on a new challenge.

"Williams has a clear, ambitious plan to move forward, and I’m looking forward to bringing my experience and knowledge to help accelerate that journey.

"I can’t wait to meet the team, learn the organisation and get to work converting ideas into performance on track."

Milner worked his way up through the ranks at Mercedes, having started at Honda as a systems engineer.

Prior to the team becoming Mercedes, Milner was an R&D engineer at Brawn for its 2009 double-title-winning campaign.

Williams technical director Matt Harman added: "Dan brings broad experience and clear leadership.

"He has led major programmes across R&D and powertrains, turning ideas into performance, and he knows how to bring teams together to deliver.

"Dan will be central to our vehicle technology plan and to converting innovation into consistent performance gains on track, so we’re thrilled to have him on board as we continue our plans of bringing Williams F1 Team back to the front of the grid."