Ex-McLaren F1 COO among senior figures poached by Williams

Williams has signed the former chief operating officer of McLaren's Formula 1 team as part of a recruitment drive that also includes poaching senior Mercedes and Alpine staff.

While not having a huge public profile, Piers Thynne, McLaren F1 COO until January this year, has had a significant leadership role within the team, supporting team principal Andrea Stella since McLaren's big technical reshuffle in early 2023.

He first joined McLaren in 2008, and held a number of other leadership roles, such as executive director of operations. Thynne has been credited as a key part of McLaren's rise from struggling midfielder to world champion over the last decade.

He will join Williams from August as its new chief optimisation and planning officer, something Williams described as "a newly created strategic role to lead and transform manufacturing and operations at the team in pursuit of long-term success".

Thynne said: "Williams has clear ambition to be championship level in all areas and set new standards in the sport, and I can't wait to play my part in that as a member of the senior leadership group.

"I have enjoyed a fantastic time at McLaren, helping bring the team back to the top, and hope we will be able to do the same at Williams."

Williams announced the signing of three other senior technical personnel from rivals alongside news of Thynne joining, some of whom have already started work.

Those include Williams's new head of aerodynamic development, Claire Simpson, who has joined the team after 12 years with Mercedes.

Also joining from Mercedes is Fred Judd, who worked for Mercedes' High Performance Powertrains division. He is the new head of performance optimisation at Williams, having worked for Mercedes since it re-entered F1 in 2010.

Steve Booth, formerly chief engineer for Alpine, started his new role as head of vehicle engineering for Williams in April.

The long-time Enstone team member was a part of Renault's 2005 and 2006 title successes and has been with the squad for more than 20 years, interrupted only by a brief stint with Toro Rosso in 2014.

Williams has promised the appointment of "more senior leaders from across the grid to come over the next few months".