Pat Symonds leaves Marussia to join Williams
Pat Symonds has left his position as technical consultant for the Marussia team to join the Williams team as the technical director, a position previously held by Mike Coughlan whose journey with Williams ends.
Pat Symonds has been working as a technical consultant with the Marussia team, through his company, for two years now, as he cannot be directly involved in Formula 1 due to his participation in the crashgate of the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix, which resulted in a 5-year ban from Formula 1.
But the Briton is back in business as he has just announced his departure from the Marussia team to join the Williams team as technical director, replacing Mike Coughlan who held the position for two years.
Coughlan has indeed resigned today as the Williams team explains on its website: « The Williams team announces that Mike Coughlan has resigned from his position as Technical Director and is leaving the team with immediate effect. The team thanks him for his significant contribution since 2011 and wishes him the best for his future projects. »
It didn’t take the Grove team long to find his successor in the person of Pat Symonds, whom the Williams management is delighted to see arrive: « I am thrilled that Pat is joining the team. His technical skills and sporting successes speak for themselves, and I am confident that his skills and leadership role will contribute to the success that everyone at Williams is working hard to achieve, » Claire Williams stated.
Pat Symonds believes that by leaving Marussia, he is leaving a team on the right track to success: “I have really enjoyed my time with the Marussia F1 team over the last two and a half seasons. The team has developed a lot during this period and now has the right people and resources to achieve great things in the future.” He is also thrilled to join a team like Williams: “Williams is a team rooted in success and engineering excellence, and I am honored to be invited to play a role in the team’s return to the top of Formula 1. Sir Frank, Mike [O’Driscoll, President of the Williams Group, ed.] and Claire have laid the foundations for success, and I am excited to take on this new challenge.”
The Marussia team specified on its website that an announcement would be made in due course regarding the potential replacement of Pat Symonds.
