Mercedes executive director (technical) Paddy Lowe is set to return to Williams, where he started his Formula One career, according to a story in Motorsport.com.
Lowe’s contract with the triple world champions is due to expire on December 31 and there had been reports of a bidding war for his services between his current employer and a rival team.
The latest article reveals that the other bidder would be Williams, which is targeting Lowe in order to recover from a challenging 2016 campaign that saw the Grove-based outfit slip from third to fifth in the Constructors’ championship.
The report claims that Lowe, who joined Mercedes from McLaren in 2013, is ready “to accept what Williams has to offer”. The Briton would initially work alongside Pat Symonds before taking over once the chief technical officier retires from F1.
During his previous six-year tenure at Grove (1987-1993), Lowe helped turn Williams into a pioneer in the fields of active suspension and traction control, which then propelled Nigel Mansell to the 1992 world title.
Should the move happen, former Ferrari technical director James Allison has been tipped for Lowe's Mercedes position.
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