Despite dismal season, Williams still putting its full faith in Lowe

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Williams deputy team principal Claire Williams is still giving her full backing to chief technical officer Paddy Lowe despite the team's depressed state of affairs.

Williams' FW41 is the first car designed by Lowe following the engineer's transfer from Mercedes to the Grove-based outfit in the beginning of 2017.

The 2018 Mercedes-powered car marked a change in concept from its Pat Symonds-designed predecessors, but the team's new development path has left it with a very weak car on its hands, and its driver at the tail end of the field.

Lowe has been working hard to improve the FW41's performance, but the light at the end of the tunnel is dim. Still, the 56-year-old British engineer retains the full backing of the Williams family.

"Paddy is our CTO and I back him 100%," Claire Williams told the sport's official website Formula1.com.

"Paddy is a triple world championship-winning Technical Director. He’s inherited a team with some issues and weaknesses and it’s his responsibility to fix these issues as our CTO.

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"Giving someone a short time to do that and expect miracles is naïve. He needs more time to fix these issues.

"At the end of the day, we’re all relying on Paddy and his team of engineers. It’s those guys who make the car go faster.

"We need to make sure we give them everything we can resources-wise to do what they can to give us a good race car. I trust Paddy and his team will deliver."

Williams' engineering department was unsettled earlier this year following the departures chief designer Ed Wood and aero man Dirk de Beer.

Lowe remains at the helm, with ex-McLaren man and chief engineer Doug McKiernan at his side as the crew digs deep into the trenches to improve the FW41's performance. Progress is being made assures Lowe.

"We’ve done a lot of very good work, but when you go and look at the numbers, we’ve probably stood still relative to our competitors," he said

"We’re not going to give up, but if we’re realistic, the idea of getting back towards the front of the midfield at this stage in this season is maybe not going to happen.

"So naturally, which happens anyway, a lot more focus moves to the following year."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.