LONDON, May 3 (Reuters) - Williams co-founder Patrick Head will retire this year, the Formula One team's chairman Adam Parr told reporters on Tuesday.
"Patrick has made it clear that he will be retiring this year, so
at some point this year that will happen," he said in a conference call after announcing major changes in the team's technical department.
"That's nothing to do with the restructuring, it's just the fact that he's turning 65 and had already signalled that it's time for him to move on to his next set of interests in life."
Head, who set up the championship-winning team with Frank Williams in 1977 and designed a series of world-beating cars, sold more than half of his shares in the company this year when the team made an initial public offering.
The sale netted the Briton around 36 million euros ($53.15 million).
Head told Reuters in February that while he would be standing down as director of engineering in the near future, he had no plans to retire completely and would remain a director and involved in the company.
Williams said on Tuesday that technical director Sam Michael and chief aerodynamicist Jon Tomlinson had resigned and will leave at the end of the year, while former McLaren chief designer Mike Coughlan will arrive in June.
"There's quite a bit of change coming but I believe it's all structured, pre-planned and co-ordinated so that by the end of the year hopefully we will have a very clear new group for 2012 and beyond," said Parr.
Williams are still without a point as they head to Turkey for this weekend's fourth round of the championship.
"Patrick has made it clear that he will be retiring this year, so
at some point this year that will happen," he said in a conference call after announcing major changes in the team's technical department.
"That's nothing to do with the restructuring, it's just the fact that he's turning 65 and had already signalled that it's time for him to move on to his next set of interests in life."
Head, who set up the championship-winning team with Frank Williams in 1977 and designed a series of world-beating cars, sold more than half of his shares in the company this year when the team made an initial public offering.
The sale netted the Briton around 36 million euros ($53.15 million).
Head told Reuters in February that while he would be standing down as director of engineering in the near future, he had no plans to retire completely and would remain a director and involved in the company.
Williams said on Tuesday that technical director Sam Michael and chief aerodynamicist Jon Tomlinson had resigned and will leave at the end of the year, while former McLaren chief designer Mike Coughlan will arrive in June.
"There's quite a bit of change coming but I believe it's all structured, pre-planned and co-ordinated so that by the end of the year hopefully we will have a very clear new group for 2012 and beyond," said Parr.
Williams are still without a point as they head to Turkey for this weekend's fourth round of the championship.
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