Williams signs key leaders from McLaren, Mercedes, Alpine

Williams has announced it has hired key personnel from several rival Formula 1 teams, most importantly Piers Thynne from McLaren.

Thynne has been a stalwart of the Woking-based outfit, which he joined in 2007 as a gearbox programme manager – thanks to the experience previously acquired at transmission specialist Xtrac – before gradually ascending the team’s hierarchy.

Thynne eventually became McLaren’s chief operating officer in 2023, a role he stepped down from earlier this year while moving to the team’s heritage department.

As such, Thynne has played a key role in McLaren returning to championship glory; he will join Williams in August as its chief optimisation and planning officer, and will be tasked with “streamlining processes, optimising resources and deploying cutting-edge technology including robotics, AI and advanced manufacturing to modernise Williams’ facilities and set a new benchmark in Formula 1”, as per the team’s press release.

“I am delighted to be joining Atlassian Williams F1 Team at what is a really exciting moment,” Thynne commented. “Williams has clear ambition to be championship level in all areas and set new standards in the sport, and I can’t wait to play my part in that as a member of the senior leadership group. I have enjoyed a fantastic time at McLaren, helping bring the team back to the top, and hope we will be able to do the same at Williams.”

Piers Thynne and Indy Lall, McLaren

Photo by: JEP

Williams has also recruited Mercedes’ aerodynamic group leader Claire Simpson as its head of aerodynamic development; Fred Judd, who led Mercedes’ power unit engineering for customer teams, as Williams’ head of performance optimisation; Steve Booth, who was Alpine’s chief engineer for the 2026 project, as head of vehicle engineering.

“I am thrilled to be welcoming Piers to Atlassian Williams F1 Team as we continue investing in the people, processes and technology to compete at the front in Formula 1,” team principal James Vowles said. “We are clear in our ambition to build a team that can win world championships, and Piers has unrivalled recent experience in doing exactly that.

“I am also delighted to welcome Claire, Fred and Steve – we are attracting extremely talented strategic recruits from throughout the paddock who will add to the foundations we have already put in place over the past few years and help take us to the next level.”

Williams adds that, combined, the four recruits “have worked on 12 championship-winning cars and bring more than 65 years of experience to the team”.