A problematic “gardening leave” between Williams and Alpine
For several weeks now, a large number of managers have been joining the Williams team, most of them from Alpine. A situation which has enabled Williams to strengthen its technical department, but an enlarged staff which has yet to be confirmed in the face of Alpine's disagreement.
The Williams team is greatly strengthening. After announcing the signing of Carlos Sainz for a multi-year contract, the Grove team has recruited 26 new people, including five key figures: Fabrice Moncade (former director of performance analysis at Ferrari), Juan Molina (chief aerodynamicist at Haas), Steve Winstanley (chief designer of composites and structures at Williams), and Richard Frith (former Alpine within the performance department).
The situation of the latter is particularly delicate. Unlike other new recruits like Matt Harman, former technical director of Alpine, who will join Williams at the start of the season, Frith’s arrival date remains uncertain. James Vowles, the boss of Williams, explained that discussions are ongoing with Alpine, his former team.
Translate: « We have Richard Frith, who comes from Alpine. He will join us on an unknown date in 2025, which is currently being negotiated. » These discussions are fundamental because they concern the gardening leave », this period of “gardening” during which Richard Frith cannot join a new team for a few months and must stay at home during the notice period, thus exempting him from any work.
Currently, no agreement has been reached between the two parties, Alpine wishing to prevent one of its key executives from joining a rival team, especially since Williams is only 7 points behind Alpine in the constructors’ championship.
« We still slightly disagree with them about the number of people we have taken from Alpine, to be honest. I can’t wait for him to join us. Let’s see what happens. »
The recruitment of these new talents demonstrates the persistent appeal of this historic team, despite recent difficulties. James Vowles is pleased with this situation: « We have Pat (Fry), who left Alpine before it deteriorated. And following Pat, we announced 26 new recruits a few weeks ago. »
The Williams ambition
« It’s not just that we only hired 26 people, we’ve hired nearly 250 people over the past 17 months. These are key recruitments from other F1 teams who will have a direct impact as soon as they join us and that’s a significant difference. This is Williams as it is today. And this is not the end of our journey, far from it. It’s the growth we are experiencing.
These new recruits strengthen Williams’ ambitions and project to become a winning team again. Williams has not won a title since 1997, but the team is investing in experienced talents to change this situation.
James Vowles is aware that Williams is going through a pivotal moment: “We have a mission to fight our way back to the front and being able to attract experienced talents, who have won titles with other teams, shows that we strongly believe in the path we are on. Williams is investing in what it takes to win.”
The future seems more promising than it was a few years ago, and the new recruits believe in the team’s ability to return to the top. Vowles has indeed concluded: « You don’t do this by chance, you do it because people believe in what you are doing, people come, as I said, from all the top teams, there really is no place where we are not getting good results. People do it because they see that Williams is no longer just there to make up the numbers. It’s a real estate investment, bringing this team back to the top, and it’s a journey. »
