Williams’ chief technical officer, Paddy Lowe, has taken a “leave of absence” from the team due to “personal reasons”.
This latest development at the Grove-based team has come via a short statement confirming that Lowe has currently stepped away from his duties, but his long-term future with Williams remains unclear.
Speculation surrounding Lowe’s future intensified after Williams were late to the start of pre-season testing at the Circuit de Catalunya and only managed to get the FW42 on track two-and-a-half days into proceedings.
Deputy team principal, Claire Williams, defended Lowe’s role by stating there is not a blame culture at the team and that everyone had to accept responsibility for the delays and stick together through these ongoing tough times.
When directly asked about Lowe’s future, she had also said: “I’ve been reading a lot of speculation in the media recently about Paddy’s position.
“Right now all I’m focused on, all the team should be focused on, is the car and making sure the car is in the right place.”
Lowe initially cancelled his meetings with the press in Barcelona but, when he did take questions, he was optimistic about changing the team’s fortunes and still had the desire and belief to bring back the glory days to Williams.
However, the turbulent times at Williams are showing no signs of ending, with Lowe’s sudden departure the latest instalment in what is already shaping up to be another nightmare of a season for the team.
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