If your jury was still out on rumors of Paddy Lowe moving from Mercedes to Williams, things may have become slightly more realistic now that Autosport says that Pat Symonds has left the team.
A long-time Formula 1 technical director, Symonds has been with Williams since 2014 and took two 3rd place finishes in the constructor’s championship only to slide to 5th this year. It seemed slightly odd when the Lowe rumors began as the team had a technical director and as we posited, if the Lowe rumor was true, Symonds would be leaving.
There have also been a few rumors regarding Rob Smedley’s role at Williams but if Felipe Massa is to return for fill Valtteri Bottas’s seat, he may still be needed. As for Symonds, the article says nothing of his future plans or where he might go but at 63, one wonders if he’ll hang it up or ply his craft elsewhere.
Symonds has been involved with many championship teams and in my opinion he could be beneficial at a host of teams like Haas F1, Manor, Sauber or perhaps even McLaren. We may not have seen the last of Pat Symonds.
Hat Tip: Autosport
The unanswered question: Why did he leave?
As i suggested above, Williams might have decided not to renew his contract as they have lost ground to their competitors since 2014, or he might have decided to move on, on the basis that the 2017 regulations make it too difficult for a smart but lesser funded team to punch above its weight.
That’s a pity, Pat Symonds has been the most accessible of the technical directors and has been on a number of podcasts demystifying F1 technology.
Obviously Williams haven’t been able to develop their cars as quickly as some competitors so I guess Pat has to pay the price. But hopefully he is still around and talking about technology.