Williams raid F1 rivals to make five key signings

Williams has confirmed making five new key signings as it continues to push its way back to the front in F1.

Following the arrival of team principal James Vowles, the Grove-based squad has undergone a remarkable transformation behind the scenes, resulting in the recruitment of numerous staff to bolster its numbers.

Williams has now announced the latest quintet of hires, which include Matt Harman as design director following his release by Alpine earlier in the season from the role of technical director.

Joining Harman will be Fabrice Moncade as chief engineer after previously working at Ferrari as head of performance analytics; Juan Molina from Haas as chief aerodynamicist; Steve Winstanley, who worked for 14 years at Red Bull, as chief engineer, composites and structures, and Richard Frith from Alpine as head of performance systems.

The team has boasted the quintet are among 26 new recruits from other F1 teams who will join Williams over the course of the year. They include several from Mercedes and Ferrari, four from Red Bull and 10 from Alpine.

The aerodynamics department has been strengthened significantly with 11 hires, and the design office with 13.

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In addition, the team has appointed Sorin Cheran as its new chief information and analytics officer. Cheran specialises in artificial intelligence and innovation and will lead a transformation of how the team acquires, stores, indexes and uses data to build a best-in-class technology operation. 

Vowles said: “We are on a mission to fight our way back to the front and being able to attract experienced, championship-winning talent from other teams demonstrates huge belief in the journey we are on.

"Williams is investing in what it takes to win, and this is just the start as we prepare to welcome more new faces from across the grid in the months ahead."

The five technical hires will work under chief technical officer Pat Fry who said: “Williams Racing has bold ambitions and huge momentum, and these exceptional recruits show this is a project people want to be part of.

"We are adding strength in depth to the enormous talent already at Grove as we build for the future.”