Williams recruits key aero men from Lotus and RBR

Williams has announced two key aero appointments as the team continues to rebuild the team in the light of a bad 2013 season.

Dave Wheater moves from Lotus to be Head of Aerodynamic Performance, while Shaun Whitehead joins from RBR as Head of Aerodynamic Process. Both men report to Jason Somerville, Head of Aerodynamics.

Lotus has already lost key people to Ferrari while RBR’s aero head Peter Prodromou is of course heading to McLaren.

Somerville said: “I’m very pleased to have secured the first class talents of Dave and Shaun, both of whom have enviable track records within F1. With the exciting challenges ahead for 2014, I am confident they will both add strength and experience to the team here at Grove.”

Pat Symonds, Williams F1 Team Chief Technical Officer, said: “These two appointments show our commitment to both improving the process of aerodynamic development while focussing on the application of that development to true on-track performance.

“Dave and Shaun bring a wealth of experience to our team and I welcome them both to Grove and fully expect them to make significant contributions to the renewed competitiveness that we are all working so hard to achieve. With Dave and Shaun on board, and under Jason’s stewardship, we will be well positioned to make gains in this important area and support the continuing task of developing the FW36 in what promises to be an exciting year for the sport in 2014.”