Formula One season for this year is already over however there are lot of interesting things happening post the racing season. Every other day a new thing pops up out of sudden and gets into the limelight. After the retirement announcement of Nico Rosberg there has been no end to many interesting events doing the round in the world of motor sports. On Tuesday the post season shake up took another spin with Williams announcing the departure of technical head Pat Symonds while Valtteri Bottas moved closer to Mercedes and Felipe Massa’s retirement looked to be coming to an end.
Williams revealed that Symonds, 63 would be leaving them on Dec 31, and the news coming amid speculation that Paddy Lowe is set to join them from dominant world champion Mercedes to take up a similar role. Symonds, who has worked with the late Brazilian great Ayrton Senna at Toleman in the 198-s and seven times champion Michael Schumacher at Benetton in the 1990s, joined Williams in 2013.
Deputy principal Claire Williams said, “Pat’s appointment was the start of a major restructuring exercise, and he has been pivotal in reshaping Williams into what is a much stronger racing team today,” “We now look to the future and will be announcing details regarding the team’s technical leadership in due course.”
Symonds quit Formula One in 2009 when his then employers Renault were alleged in a race fixing scandal after it emerged that they had ordered Brazilian Piquet to crash deliberately at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix. However after an exile of two years the Briton returned as a consultant in 2011 with Virgin Racing, now Manor. Now, his departure from Williams means the former world champions who finished fifth this year will start the year with several new faces.
Lance Stroll who is just 18 will be making his race debut however his team mate still remains uncertain following the surprise retirement of Mercedes newly crowned world champion Nico Rosberg. Now Bottas, who has been with Williams since 2013, is the favourite to replace Rosberg as Lewis Hamilton’s team mate. Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff is also involved with Finn’s management. If as per the speculation Bottas leaves than Brazilian veteran Massa is tipped to come back out of the retirement he started somewhat reluctantly when it became evident that there was nowhere else for him to go at the end of November.
