The Williams team is changing at the moment as the team tries to claw its way back to the front in Formula 1. In part the changes are due to cost-cutting measures and in part because the new generation of management is not appreciated by some of the older staff, who have been around in the days when Williams was winning World Championships. Amazingly it is now 13 seasons since Williams last won a title and six since the team won a race. The latest two departures are the team’s head of communications Liam Clogger, one of the most respected figures in the F1 PR world. The other is senior systems engineer John Russell, a longtime Williams man who joined the team from the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority at Harwell in 1989. He became Riccardo Patrese’s race engineer and the pair scored their first victory together the following year at Imola and in 1991 added wins in Mexico and Portugal. Patrese finished third in the World Championship that year. There was a further victory in Japan in 1992. For the 1993 season Russell became Damon Hill’s engineer and the relationship blossomed with Damon winning three victories at the end of the year. He started 1994 with Hill but after Ayrton Senna was killed Damon became the team’s number one and was engineered by David Brown. Russell ran David Coulthard and Nigel Mansell and the year ended with Mansell’s victory in Australia. Russell then became chief engineer of the Williams Touring Car Engineering, running Renault Lagunas in the British Touring Car Championship, winning the title in 1997 with Alain Menu before becoming chief engineer of BMW Motorsport Ltd, the Williams operation that built and ran BMW sportscars. The team won the Sebring 12 Hours and the Le Mans 24 Hours in 1999. After that he rejoined Williams F1 but was poached by Jaguar Racing to be its chief designer. In 2003 he decided to go to Australia and ran the Prodrive’s V8 Supercar programme. He was lured back to Williams in 2006, but has now decided to return to Australia, where he will be in charge of Triple Eight Engineering’s Team Vodafone operation. Triple Eight is run by Ian Harrison, a former Williams F1 team manager.
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joeblogsf1 
As ever Joe, a great detailed insight that would otherwise go unnoticed outside the F1 circles.
You say these departures are “in part because the new generation of management is not appreciated by some of the older staff”, but make no further comment on this…
Do you feel this is a good thing (i.e the new staff are on the right track with modern F1 having changed), or a bad thing (young ‘whipper snappers’ with no respect for what these guys have achieved and could still deliver)?
Just curious. I, like many fans I’m sure, would love to see the Williams team troubling the podium again on a regular basis…
Joe,
I’m curious if you could expand on what you think has been happening (behind the scenes) at Williams since 1997. I’ve been a supporter of Williams since 1983 but have long been frustrated with and sometimes marveled at the team’s ability to seemingly shoot itself in the foot. It appears to me that some of this is due to Frank Williams’ and Patrick Head’s admirable goal of staying independent, but also the way in which they treat drivers and deal with engine suppliers. Over the years, they’ve paid a heavy price for these traits. They lost Honda to McLaren (and Senna), Renault to Benetton (and Schumacher), and BMW. They lost – or perhaps did not get the best out of – Mansell (left as WC), Prost (left as WC), Hill (left as WC), Villeneuve, Button, Montoya, Webber, and Rosberg. Last but not least, they lost Newey to McLaren. Based on what I read, they also seem to have trained a lot of top engineers that left for other teams: Neil Oatley, David Brown, Ross Brawn, and others. I can’t imagine a team like McLaren, especially when led by Ron Dennis, to have made decisions like these, or at least that many. I very much hope that they will climb to the very top again.
Nutsenf
Joe,
I’m probably like a lot of fans out there who would love to see Williams back at the front. A couple of weeks ago autosport ran a front page story on Williams and on how they were getting their act together, had strong new management etc. However it was also mentioned that major sponsoring contracts were due to end (RBS, Air Asia, Philips) and one has to wonder if all these rosy blue stories are not more wishful thinking from the media than anything else?
I’d love to be wrong I must say.
Tangui
It is such a shame to see a great team like Williams floundering in the mid-field. By all rights they should be right up there with McLaren battling for championships. Seems like Frank and Patrick either could not (or more likely would not) adapt to the new world of F1 as a marketing/business exercise rather than a sport/passion. Their stubborness and strong ethics seem to be their biggest asset and also their achilles heel. I really thought that a few years ago when they partnered with BMW that they would recover their old form, but it was not meant to be. I’d love to hear Joe’s opinion on why they have fallen from the top tier. Best of luck to all at Williams.
Oh I remember some tensions captured + shown on tv earlier this year. Finger pointing and so on. Hope they can pull it together.
that’s why we love ya’ all the inside info on the obscure but important, behind-the-scenes people that are worth a mention!
I think a shake up is in order…they have been struggling for a long time now
I’ve seen rumours of a Hulkenberg departure too, I’m a little surprised as I think he’s had a reasonable first season. Slow at first, but doing well now.
Thoughts?
I am not sure I understand the correlation between the current management and these depatures. First, because F1 is a totally changed sport from Williams’ heyday, and second, because there are no quotes or other sources to support the assertion. Then again, what is said off the record or implied sometimes speaks volumes.
Did Russell leave of his own accord or was he pushed out in part of a desperate re-shuffle? personally i think things need to change from teh top, and the whole philosophy of the team needs to change – what happened to the days when they were leading innovation? now they are just following the big guys, both on and off the track. however, i’m one of the many that would love to see them rise to the top again
is liam the one that you see in the background in the driver interviews, looks like he’s sucking a lemon all the time with trousers that would embarrass simon cowell…
Joe, any truth to the rumor about a possible Hulkenberg departure? He’s raced very well this second half of the season. Where would he go?
Michael
Why would he go? He has done a decent job and Williams is happy with him.
Joe, te whole world is buzzling about Kimi and Renault , and you… I don’t know… maybe fishing again?
ola,
The whole world is buzzing? No it is not. A few people on the internet have beaten up a story because it is not very busy. i am sure that it is all about negotiations with Citroen
Hi Joe
Not connected but see the news in Australia re: Grand Prix costs.
It must be difficult at Williams to have Patrick Head scouling over your shoulder.
Cheers………../Leslie.
The costs in Melbourne are known well in advance. It goes up a little each year. That is pretty normal. There are thousands of people who in Melbourne who understand that the Grand Prix is terrific value for money for the city. It generates way more than that. My view has always been the same in this respect. If the people of Melbourne don’t want the Grand Prix that is up to them. They will regret it if they lose it – just as Adelaide did.
PS. ‘scowling’
Well, if a certain German driver decided to stay home next year a certain German driver’s manager might slot in his young apprentice to the drive with a certain German team…especially now the previous reserve has gone back to Sauber again.
Cynic,
You should be cynical enough to know that Williams has a contract and unless there was $30 million deposited in the right account, FW is going to hang on to said driver.
Is he worth $30 million to the Stuttgart blusterers?
This is a gr8 site, thanks friend bookmarked.