What went wrong at Williams? And can it salvage its 2026 F1 season?
Barcelona exposed Williams again, but team boss James Vowles insists the car, and this year's Formula 1 season, can still be saved
The legendary technical figure is back in a bid to reverse Williams F1’s slump
Sir Patrick Head is returning to the Williams team as a consultant, in a bold attempt to put an end to the team’s recent woes.
Head founded Williams Grand Prix Engineering alongside Sir Frank Williams in 1976 and is considered alongside Frank Williams as the key figure in the team’s multiple championship-winning history, with Head leading the team’s technical side.
He stepped away from the team in 2011 though remained as a shareholder.
More: Lunch with… Patrick Head
Williams has struggled for results in recent years.
In this year’s season-opening Australian Grand Prix, Williams finished at the back and missed the start of testing due to its car not being ready in time. The team’s current technical chief Paddy Lowe recently took a leave of absence for personal reasons.
Last season Williams dropped to last place of the 10 teams in the constructors’ championship, having scored just seven points. This was a fall from the year before in 2017 when Williams placed fifth in the final table and accumulated 83 points.
“We can confirm that Sir Patrick Head is currently offering some support to our engineering team on a short-term consultancy basis,” said Williams in a statement.
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