Dave Redding to become Williams’ sporting director
Williams has confirmed the recruitment of Dave Redding, former Sporting Director at McLaren, to the same position immediately after the British Grand Prix, i.e. from July 17. The Briton will replace Steve Nielsen, who leaves the team on July 31.
There will be changes in the organizational structure of the Williams team. Indeed, the current sporting director Steve Nielsen will leave the team on July 31st, but will be replaced by the former sporting director of McLaren, Dave Redding, who will join the team after the Silverstone Grand Prix.
Steve Nielsen joined the team in 2014 to help the team improve in the area of pit stops compared to other teams. His work has paid off as the Williams mechanics are now among the fastest and most efficient in Formula One, with a record set at the Baku Grand Prix last year.
His replacement, Dave Redding, started at McLaren in 2001 as a systems engineer, then held other engineering positions before becoming team manager of the Woking team in 2009. In the past, he also worked with the Jaguar, Stewart, and Benetton teams. The Briton left McLaren earlier this year.
Williams’ Chief Technical Officer Paddy Lowe praises the work of Nielsen since his arrival at the Grove-based team, which has led to significant improvement in pit stops: « First of all, I must thank Steve for his hard work and dedication since joining Williams in 2014. He has done a brilliant job restructuring the race team, particularly in overseeing the spectacular pit stop performances we have demonstrated over the past 18 months. »
Lowe concludes on a more personal note by wishing Nielsen a bright future: « From a personal standpoint, it has been a great pleasure working together since I started here in March. We wish him all the best for the future. »
Paddy Lowe says he is happy to welcome Dave Redding and hopes he will further enable the team to progress: « I am also delighted to welcome Dave to the Williams team. I am sure Dave will fit in well here and can provide the necessary operational and sporting leadership not only to maintain our current high standards, but to further develop all aspects of our racing team’s performance in the future. »
On his part, Dave Redding expresses his respect towards the structure created by Frank Williams: « Having been involved in motorsport for 30 years, I know that Williams is a formidable racing team, and I am extremely enthusiastic and feel privileged to join them. »
The Briton expressed determination about building the team’s future: « I already know and respect many of the team members, and I am eager to start working at Grove and to become an integral part of the team’s promising future. »
