The Williams Formula 1 team is working on finding a replacemeꦡnt for outgoing chief technical officer♛ Paddy Lowe following his departure.

Lowe’s exit from Williams was officially confirmed last🌳 week after a lengthy🦂 period of leave which began in March following a disrupted start to the team’s pre-season preparations.

The Grove-based outfit has endured a nightmare start to the 2019 seas꧒on with its uncompetitive FW42 and sits bottom of the constructors’ championship as the only team yet to score a point from the opening nin💜e rounds.

Chief designer Doug McKiernan has spearheaded Williams’ t♔echnical team in Lowe’s abse෴nce.

“We’re happy with the technical management team that we have, and we’re looking at the options that are available t✤o us now and what would fit most appropriately with our structure,” deputy team principal Claire Williams said in Austria.

“As soon as we’ve made a decision, and we can🌟 make an announcement, we’l🅘l share it.

“We’ve got 🐷to focus on the here and now, and the future, and that’s what we’re൲ doing back at Grove in earnest,” she added.

“A lot of work is going on behind the scenes to make sure that we put Williams in the best possible position moving forward, from everyday moving forwards, not for 2020, not for 2021🦩, but for right now.

“We have aꦑ very capable technical manag💃ement team in place that have been working since Paddy’s leave of absence started back in March.

“So our chief designer Doug McKiernan and Adam Carter, who’s our head of design, a﷽nd Dave Robson who runs engineering trackside, and they’re working really well together.”

McLaren engineering director Pat Fry is understood to be in the process of leaving the team and could be an a♌ttractive option for Williams given his vast experience in F1. 

Williams said the team plans to bring further upgrades prio🍸r to the summer break and feels the British squad is heading in the right direction.

“I think as everybody has seen over the p𝄹ast few races, we’ve been able to bring new parts to the track, the majority of which have been adopted because they’ve shown greater levels of performance, and we’re slowly closin♋g that gap,” she said.

“I think as everybody kn🅺ows now, we’ve got more parts coming prior to shutdown that will hopefully bring greater performance to the car as well. We’re making good steps in the right direction, and that’s really nice to see.

“It’s been incredibly difficult for everybody at Williamღs over the last many, many months now๊, and it finally feels like we’re heading in the right direction again. There’s more of a spring in everybody’s step, so to speak.”