One week before the 2019 F1 season kicks off in Australia, Williams has announced that technical director Paddy Lowe is taking a "leave of absence" from the British outfit.
Williams' troubled start to its 2019 season, marked by production issues that forced the Grove-based outfit to delay the roll-out of its FW4 by over two days in Barcelona, had led pundits to question Lowe's position with the team.
The 56-year-old engineer, who is also a Williams shareholder, said last week in Spain that he did not have any immediate "concerns" about his position.
Williams deputy team principal Claire Williams revealed that the outfit was conducting an internal investigation into its processes, discarding speculation that its problems were linked to suppliers or to budget constraints.
A spokesperson for Williams confirmed to Autosport that Lowe "is taking a leave of absence from the business for personal reasons", but offered no clarity on the engineer's future.
Williams' troubles gained momentum in 2018 following a dismal season with its problematic FW41, the first car to be designed under Lowe's guidance following his departure from Mercedes.
The British team was hoping for a complete reset this year and a move up the grid, but the belated launch of its 2019 contender put the team on the back-foot at the outset when pre-season testing kicked off in Barcelona.
Neither rookie George Russell or F1 returnee Robert Kubica, who form the squad's 2019 line-up, had encouraging words to say about the FW42 in Barcelona, but it was all seen as a work in progress.
The car enjoyed adequate reliability once it was put on its rails at the Circuit de Catalunya, but was consistently the slowest among the runners.
It's another tough start to its season for F1's third most successful team on the grid and for its drivers.
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