Williams Racing announces Alpine chief as new F1 CTO

Williams has recently announced Pat Fry as their future chief technical officer. This will be one of the biggest recruitments under new team principal James Vowles' tenure. The British team has been without a CTO since 2019 when Paddy Lowe left. Hence, this will be a massive step for them as they try to climb the pecking order.

Previously, Pat Fry was working with Alpine as their CTO. He will now join the British team on November 1 after serving a short gardening leave.

Welcoming Fry, James Vowles praised his team's new CTO and how he has heaps of experience from past work at McLaren, Ferrari, Manor and Alpine. Vowles hopes that Fry will be a strong part of the next major steps the team is taking to reshape their future in the sport. He said (via Williams.com):

“On behalf of all at Williams Racing, I’m delighted to be welcoming Pat. His knowledge and experience will further strengthen the team's technical capabilities in pursuit of excellence as we build the next chapter of Williams. Pat has been a core part of winning teams throughout his career. He is one of the most respected experts in our industry and I’m excited to begin work with him when he joins in November.”

Along with Pat Fry, Alpine has also recently announced that they will be releasing Otmar Szafnauer and sporting director Alan Permane from their duties effective after the 2023 F1 Belgian GP.

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Former Williams boss opens up about taking a sabbatical from F1

Former Williams boss Claire Williams recently spoke about how she deliberately stays away from Formula 1. Her family had to sell their team in 2020 to Dorilton Capital, which was quite painful for her. Hence, as of now, she is staying away from the sport and taking a break to recover. Speaking with Sun, Claire said:

"I don’t watch it anymore. It has been a really conscious decision because I’m still recovering from taking a step back. Leaving my team has left an enormous gap. We were reluctant sellers. Life took us down that road where we were forced to sell."

The British team was acquired by Dorilton Capital for $179.5 million.