Williams chief technical officer Pat Fry admits that transforming the British outfit into a front-runner in Formula 1 is a “tough ask” but insists it’s possible with the right tools and mindset.
Earlier this year, Fry was convinced by Williams team principal James Vowles to move to the Grove-based outfit Williams from Alpine where he had overseen the Enstone squad’s technical activities since 2020.
It was a major coup for Vowles and a significant statement of intent from the team, as hiring a highly experienced and respected engineer with a proven track record of success showed that Williams was serious about rebuilding itself and returning to the front of the grid.
At the heart of Fry's vision lies the establishment of a clear, overarching goal for Williams – to become a top-three contender in F1 within the next four years.
From this broad outlook, a detailed roadmap must be charted, outlining the necessary steps to develop the tools, personnel, and mindset required to achieve this pinnacle of success.
“The ultimate goal in the end is to be a championship competitor,” Fry said, quoted by Motorsport.com.
“In 2-3-4 years time, we need to be getting in the fight, breaking into the top three. It’s a tough ask to do when you’re building from where we are, but I think it’s all possible.
“I guess having worked with Ron [Dennis] and [the mantra that] second is the first of the losers, having worked at Ferrari for five years where you celebrate winning but nothing else, I’m kind of tainted in that way.
“So, we need to build this space back to be a winning team.”
Fry emphasizes the need for a cohesive vision rather than the fragmented approach often adopted by teams struggling with limited resources.
By aligning its efforts towards a unified goal, Williams aims to break free from this cycle of mediocrity and pave the way for a return to the pinnacle of motorsport.
“In a team that’s been underfunded, you end up with individual systems in each place and you’re building on a company without an overall vision. And the first thing is, what’s the overall vision?
“So, it starts with whatever, ‘win the championship in five years’. Then below that we’ve got to put the tools in place. We’ve got to develop the people, we’ve got to develop the mindset.
“I guess it’s easy to map out and hard to do.”
Fry elaborates on his forward-thinking approach, outlining plans for each technical division that extend beyond Williams' immediate goals.
“The first thing I’m doing is [identifying] what tools and technology we need in five years time,” the Briton explained.
“You’ve got to think that far ahead, because a lot of this stuff takes you that long to put in place.
“I’ve already been having those sort of conversations with the various managers of the departments, so it’s good to get their idea of where we are, where we need to get to and then try and pull everything together.
“It’s going to be a collective decision of where we actually need to get to and what we actually need.”
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