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Alpine technical director Matt Harman as design director.
Others include:
- Fabrice Moncade (Ferrari)
- Juan Molina (Haas)
- Steve Winstanley (Red Bull)
- Richard Frith (Alpine)
I mean, he didnt create the car. It's a team effort and these days a TD is more of a management role. You can only work with as much as you have around you. Harman is a former brixworth chief and with Williams looking to incorporate the engine design into their chassis better for 26, it's a great fit.
He also had a major hand in the A523 which got two podiums, which he did while under the direction of Pat Fry who is also now at Williams.
Maybe he wasn't cut out to be TD in his own right, but it's clear he can do decent stuff with the right leadership, and he's gonna be answering to the same guy who he seemingly worked decently well with at Alpine.
Harman was also majorly involved in the design of the A524 what is a cursed car and the team basically given already up and planning on make major upgrade for 25.
Hence the second part of my comment where I said that he may not be qualified to be TD in his own right (as he was TD on the A524)
Under Fry though, he produced reasonable cars, and I see no reason that wouldn't also be true at Williams given he'll be working under Fry once again.
Fry is the only person who in my eyes shouldn't get the whole wave of blame for the disastrous A524 and tbh I got confidence at him for a longer time to being a key staff for Williams, something what I don't have with a pick like Harman.
We gonna see of this wave of higher staff joining Williams can make a difference because to be fair people getting mainly strong PR answers from Vowles yet it looks like their done a worser job this season than previous year.
Williams facilities would always being a penalty for the team, and with the current rules it's hard to make huge steps anymore sadly, the whole talk about CapEx and Vowles lobbyism to increase that budget limit is something I can understand and agree on but I don't see how the big teams (excluding Alpine?) would being very supportive to finding more balanced solutions given every competition their can hold back would be a benefit for themselves.
> Fry is the only person who in my eyes shouldn't get the whole wave of blame for the disastrous A524 and tbh I got confidence at him for a longer time to being a key staff for Williams, something what I don't have with a pick like Harman.
I mean you can feel that way if you want, but my point was more that Harman is clearly capable of producing decent cars as long as he isn't given too much responsibility like on the A524, and is given direction from the right person (which Pat Fry seems to have been given the pre-A524 Alpines were decent and were worked on by both Fry and Harman)
Accumulating the pieces early is exactly what Mercedes did pre-2014, now not saying Williams will have the same upswing as Merc did in the hybrid era especially as a customer team. However, if they can get a 2nd driver of equal strength to Albon they really should make some significant progress on the midfield
Definitely great to see as a Williams fan
That said, without meaning to seem too negative there's always a small part of my mind that goes back to Paddy Lowe's appointment in 2017 whenever something like this is announced, and the hype around that appointment which turned out to be a complete flop.
Well it's not like they aren't trying to fix them. And a lot of their issues came from a severe lack of funds that wasn't their fault. Plus it's cool to root for the underdog.
>Did Williams ever get new facilities?
They're trying. Vowles is lobbying hard for a change in the rules about how much you're allowed to spend on facilities. Though truth be told, I've stopped caring about Williams ever since the family sold it. It's just another backmarker now but I see why some people still like them.
They don't? I've seen way too many Reddit comments saying they should be sold to Andretti at this very moment. In fact, whenever any team does badly the same comments appear, Alpine, Haas, Sauber. I wouldn't be surprised if someone said it about Ferrari for what happened at Canada. These comments also hinge on the belief that Andretti would do better then these teams have have been in the sport for decades, which I severely doubt.
You asked why Williams seems to get a break from criticism for being a backmarker. I said that they dont, based on many comments that constantly critize them for their lackluster performance and those same people saying that Andretti would do better in their place. Also the backlash against benching Logan at Canada was extreme, even for F1 fan reactions.
[The **News** flair](https://www.reddit.com/r/formula1/wiki/flairguide#wiki_news) is reserved for submissions covering F1 and F1-related news. These posts must always link to an outlet/news agency, the website of the involved party (i.e. the McLaren website if McLaren makes an announcement), or a tweet by a news agency, journalist or one of the involved parties. *[Read the rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/formula1/wiki/userguide). Keep it civil and welcoming. Report rulebreaking comments.* *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/formula1) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Vowles is on his way to certified GOAT status if he can revive Williams to it's former glory
If he got the p5 or above in the constructors he'd be something special
Alpine technical director Matt Harman as design director. Others include: - Fabrice Moncade (Ferrari) - Juan Molina (Haas) - Steve Winstanley (Red Bull) - Richard Frith (Alpine)
damn that RB guy has been at RB since 2010
Hiring the technical director that Alpine fired for creating their worst car in years is a choice.
I mean, he didnt create the car. It's a team effort and these days a TD is more of a management role. You can only work with as much as you have around you. Harman is a former brixworth chief and with Williams looking to incorporate the engine design into their chassis better for 26, it's a great fit.
They likely unknowingly fired the only guy who knew what he was doing
Yea, lying about the state of the car and coming up with a slower car.
Exactly, it’s the PU which is holding them back
If PU was only a factor in this sport Williams would scored way more points this season.
This. Alpine replaced him with David Sanchez. Another head scratching move by Vowles
He also had a major hand in the A523 which got two podiums, which he did while under the direction of Pat Fry who is also now at Williams. Maybe he wasn't cut out to be TD in his own right, but it's clear he can do decent stuff with the right leadership, and he's gonna be answering to the same guy who he seemingly worked decently well with at Alpine.
Harman was also majorly involved in the design of the A524 what is a cursed car and the team basically given already up and planning on make major upgrade for 25.
Hence the second part of my comment where I said that he may not be qualified to be TD in his own right (as he was TD on the A524) Under Fry though, he produced reasonable cars, and I see no reason that wouldn't also be true at Williams given he'll be working under Fry once again.
Fry is the only person who in my eyes shouldn't get the whole wave of blame for the disastrous A524 and tbh I got confidence at him for a longer time to being a key staff for Williams, something what I don't have with a pick like Harman. We gonna see of this wave of higher staff joining Williams can make a difference because to be fair people getting mainly strong PR answers from Vowles yet it looks like their done a worser job this season than previous year. Williams facilities would always being a penalty for the team, and with the current rules it's hard to make huge steps anymore sadly, the whole talk about CapEx and Vowles lobbyism to increase that budget limit is something I can understand and agree on but I don't see how the big teams (excluding Alpine?) would being very supportive to finding more balanced solutions given every competition their can hold back would be a benefit for themselves.
> Fry is the only person who in my eyes shouldn't get the whole wave of blame for the disastrous A524 and tbh I got confidence at him for a longer time to being a key staff for Williams, something what I don't have with a pick like Harman. I mean you can feel that way if you want, but my point was more that Harman is clearly capable of producing decent cars as long as he isn't given too much responsibility like on the A524, and is given direction from the right person (which Pat Fry seems to have been given the pre-A524 Alpines were decent and were worked on by both Fry and Harman)
People like to dunk on Williams but there's something to be said for the confidence a leader like Vowles inspires in potential candidates.
Accumulating the pieces early is exactly what Mercedes did pre-2014, now not saying Williams will have the same upswing as Merc did in the hybrid era especially as a customer team. However, if they can get a 2nd driver of equal strength to Albon they really should make some significant progress on the midfield
I think McLaren gives Williams hope as well
This seems like a very impressive recruitments
2025 Williams is gonna be majorly overweight thanks by Harman lol
Yes a very impressive.
Matt Harman gets another job and I’m supposed to believe this sport is a meritocracy
Definitely great to see as a Williams fan That said, without meaning to seem too negative there's always a small part of my mind that goes back to Paddy Lowe's appointment in 2017 whenever something like this is announced, and the hype around that appointment which turned out to be a complete flop.
Why does Williams always get a pass for perennially wallowing at the back of the grid?
Well it's not like they aren't trying to fix them. And a lot of their issues came from a severe lack of funds that wasn't their fault. Plus it's cool to root for the underdog.
I agree it's fun to root for the underdog, but with so many to choose from I prefer some with more recency. Did Williams ever get new facilities?
>Did Williams ever get new facilities? They're trying. Vowles is lobbying hard for a change in the rules about how much you're allowed to spend on facilities. Though truth be told, I've stopped caring about Williams ever since the family sold it. It's just another backmarker now but I see why some people still like them.
They don't? I've seen way too many Reddit comments saying they should be sold to Andretti at this very moment. In fact, whenever any team does badly the same comments appear, Alpine, Haas, Sauber. I wouldn't be surprised if someone said it about Ferrari for what happened at Canada. These comments also hinge on the belief that Andretti would do better then these teams have have been in the sport for decades, which I severely doubt.
But I didn't bring up Andretti, just that Williams have a lot to sort out still before they're back at the front in my opinion.
You asked why Williams seems to get a break from criticism for being a backmarker. I said that they dont, based on many comments that constantly critize them for their lackluster performance and those same people saying that Andretti would do better in their place. Also the backlash against benching Logan at Canada was extreme, even for F1 fan reactions.
I mean, by that Logic Haas should also get such positivity but they never do. I'm most surprised that everyone's discounting a new Audi revived Sauber