Williams strengthen technical team for 2020

Williams have moved to bolster their technical team ahead of the 2020 campaign with the signing of two new designers, as the iconic British racing squad look to bounce back from a miserable two seasons.

Dave Worner has joined as Chief Designer, having been responsible for the Red Bull-Toro Rosso synergies initiative. Meanwhile, Jonathan Carter will work with Worner in the role of Deputy Chief Designer and Head of Design. Carter joins from Renault, where he has been Head of Composite Design since 2015.

Williams say the duo will "take up these positions in the near future".

The appointments follow a turbulent year for Williams. Paddy Lowe was not replaced when he left his role as Technical Director early in 2019, with senior technical team members including Doug McKiernan (aerodynamics), Adam Carter (design), Barney Hassell (vehicle dynamics) and Dave Robson (trackside operations) covering the duties collectively.

Those moves came in the wake of Williams failing to have a car ready for the start of testing, and subsequently missing the first two days, before embarking on a campaign where they were well off the pace. A single point was all they managed across 21 races.

Following internal investigations, the team put a plan in place to learn from their mistakes. Their 2020 car has passed all of its crash tests and it is believed the FW43 is on schedule to be ready in time for testing, which begins on February 19.

“Dave and Jonathan bring enormous experience, knowledge and skills to the Williams team, and we are delighted that they are joining us in the near future," said Deputy Team Principal Claire Williams.

"They will strengthen our design capabilities and work closely with Adam Carter, our Chief Engineer, and the other senior members of the Engineering team on the design and development of the next generation of Williams F1 cars.”

In tandem, Adam Carter's role has been revised with him moving to the position of Chief Engineer. Williams say he will be responsible "for the integration and coordination of activities across the core engineering functions and delivery of vehicle programmes".

On the driver front, Williams will field a newcomer Nicholas Latifi, who was promoted from reserve, alongside George Russell this season. They will be supported by a driver academy that includes Dan Ticktum, Jamie Chadwick and Roy Nissany.