Sam Michaels and Jon Tomlinson quit Williams – Formula 1
Williams Cosworth director, Sam Michael, and aerodynamic chief, Jon Tomlinson, have resigned from the team, following the squad’s poor start to the 2011 campaign. The team has been unable to score any points in the opening three races of the season, which
is its worst start in the history of the sport.
Williams’ team boss, Frank Williams, stated, “Both Sam and Jon are talented and driven people who have worked hard for Williams over 10 and five years respectively. Nonetheless, they have recognised that the team's performance is not at the level that it
needs to be and have resigned.”
He further added, “Both will continue to work in their present positions through until the end of the year to ensure that the team maintains focus and momentum during the 2011 season. We are very grateful to Sam and to Jon for their professional approach.”
Mike Coughlan, who is a former technical chief at McLaren, has been appointed as the new chief engineer for Williams. He is expected to uplift the performance of the team in the future, as Williams rate him very highly.
The current focus for Williams will be to deliver in the ongoing season, which has been a disappointment for the entire team until now. The winter testing saw some mixed performances for the team, but they were not expected to go into three races without
a point.
Williams Cosworth ended the previous year on a high note, claiming sixth position in the constructor’s championship. The team improved a lot throughout the 2010 campaign and challenged the likes of Renault and Mercedes towards the end of the season.
However, they have struggled to get all the systems on their car working properly until now, which has concerned the entire team. Teams like Toro Rosso, Sauber and Force India have all scored points in the ongoing season and they have shown much better pace
in qualifiers and the races compared to Williams.
This leaves Williams will Lotus, Virgin and Hispania Racing Team (HRT), who are all struggling for a points finish in this season. However, the experience and resources in Williams should give them hope for a comeback in the upcoming races.
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