Williams’ technical director Paddy Lowe has taken a leave of absence from the team, according to a Williams spokesperson.
The Williams team made the headlines in the early stages of pre-season testing when they announced that they would miss the first two days due to delays with the FW42.
The car was finally ready for day three of testing, and the team were forced to condense their test schedule across the remaining six days.
At the time, Lowe was adamant that he was confident of his position at the team, and said that he didn’t believe dramatic changes of personnel would be helpful to Williams’ cause.
Whilst their remaining test schedule was mostly reliable, both their drivers have expressed doubts about the competitiveness of the FW42 heading to the season-opening race in Australia.
A team spokesperson confirmed to FormulaSpy that he is “taking a leave of absence from the business for personal reasons”.
The Grove-based team had finished the 2018 season at the foot of the standings with just seven points.
The new Formula One season kicks off in just over one weeks’ time in Melbourne, Australia.
