Pat Symonds to leave Williams at the end of the year

Williams F1 announced that Pat Symonds, its technical director, will leave the Grove team at the end of the year. The future of the 63-year-old British engineer had been up in the air for several days, with speculation surrounding his replacement.

Pat Symonds has worked with Williams since the 2013 season. After playing at Toleman, Benetton and Renault, his career came to a halt when he was involved in "Crashgate" at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix. The Briton was banned from working in F1 until 2011.

“Pat has been a real asset to this team over the last three years, commented Claire Williams, Williams F1 Team Principal. Pat's arrival marked the start of a major restructuring and he was an important pillar in enabling Williams to improve its performance. I would like to thank him for his work and his commitment. »

The confirmation of the departure of Pat Symonds reinforces speculation about a possible arrival of Paddy Lowe, the current technical director of Mercedes F1. Valtteri Bottas could go the opposite way by joining Mercedes F1 still looking for a replacement for Nico Rosberg.