Williams hires four senior rivals to modernize factory, speed car development

Williams recruited four senior technical leaders from rival F1 teams to modernize its factory operations and increase on-track performance. The hires are intended to centralize planning and operational delivery, introduce robotics, AI and advanced manufacturing, and help the team compete at the front of the grid.

Piers Thynne, formerly McLaren’s chief operating officer, was appointed chief optimization and planning officer; one report said he will join in August after leaving McLaren in January. Claire Simpson was named head of aerodynamic development after serving as Mercedes’ aerodynamic group leader. Fred Judd was named head of performance optimization after leading Mercedes’ power-unit engineering for customer teams. Steve Booth was hired from Alpine as head of vehicle engineering; one source described his role at Alpine as chief engineer on the 2026 project.

Team principal James Vowles said the appointments strengthen Williams’ development program, will accelerate its recovery through the 2026 campaign and support its championship ambitions. Williams said the quartet bring more than 65 years of experience and have collectively worked on 12 championship-winning cars. The signings were also presented as a technical and personnel response to early-season weight issues with the FW48 and followed the earlier departure of engineer Dan Milneer.