James Vowles, the director of Williams F1, is delighted to welcome Pat Fry to his team as the Technical Director.
He explains why the engineer’s experience will be crucial for the team and what he brings to the overall vision established within the team.
“It’s incredibly important. It’s not so much the on-field experience that matters – what matters to me is that he has witnessed excellence and understands what excellence looks like,” stated Vowles.
“He is also someone who shares a very similar philosophy to mine, which is the importance of investing in people, culture, systems, and structure. There are no shortcuts; they simply do not exist. If you seek shortcuts, you’ll quickly be bitten by the bug.”
“It’s about investing correctly and not worrying about immediate returns. It may take several years, but he has my support and that of the board to achieve this goal together and simultaneously.”
“This is where Williams stands; we need to implement substantial and meaningful structural changes, not small short-term fixes. He has worked at Ferrari and McLaren, where they were consistently competing at the front during his tenure, so he knows how to do it.”
Williams F1 Seeks Unique Technical Director
To complement the technical department, Vowles is looking for a profile that is very different from the experienced Fry.
“I believe that’s the beauty of the structure we’ve chosen. We have a Technical Director, and there is still a Technical Director position to be filled.”
“You will see the void we have just created around that, and indeed in this role, I think someone less experienced and from a different generation is the perfect fit to establish it. For now, Pat is fulfilling both roles successfully, but we need to fill this other gap in due time.”
Williams F1 Technical Director: Pat Fry’s Experience & Philosophy 2024. Williams F1 Technical Director: Pat Fry’s Experience & Philosophy 2024.
