Two teams in one year
2023 was definitely a complex year for the British engineer Pat Fry, who until the Belgian Grand Prix held the role of Technical Director of Alpine. However, the internal revolution implemented by the French company resulted in the surprise dismissal of Fry himself and other leading men in the team such as Team Principal Otmar Szafnauer and Sports Director Alan Permane. However, as of last November 1stthe 59-year-old has officially joined the Williamsalways with the task of Technical director.
The will to be reborn
A real breath of fresh air for one of the men who contributed to writing the history of other top teams such as Benetton, McLaren and Ferrari between the 90s and 2000s, and who now lands in another prestigious reality like Williams. The Grove house, however, is back from a long period of crisis in results and competitiveness which took her away from the fight for world titles and individual victories. However, starting from this season, the team has started a rebirth process led by the new Team Principal James Vowlesarrived surprisingly from Mercedes, as evidenced by the 7th place in the Constructors’ ranking.
The initial enthusiasm
A project that Fry fully embraces in view of 2024, as admitted in a meeting with the media during the last weekend of the world championship in Abu Dhabi: “The thing that excites me about this opportunity – he has declared – is that the board is fully on board with what it takes to bring this forward. They are willing to invest in what it takes to support us in building a team, and it’s a great thing to rebuild an old British icon.”
The next goals
While waiting to understand who will follow him in his new adventure, with the name of another former Mercedes like Mike Elliott among the main candidates to join the team’s technical team, Fry wanted to make things clear, maintaining a typical philosophy of another Team Principal from the past: “I have to consider what technology we will need in five years – he specified – I have already had conversations with the various department managers to get a good idea of where we are and where we need to go. The ultimate goal is to be a championship contender. In two, three, four years, we have to fight and get into the top three. It’s difficult when you’re building from where we are, but I think anything is possible. The second ones are the first to lose – he added – having worked with Ron Dennis and at Ferrari, where you celebrate the victory but nothing else, I’m a little influenced in this respect. We have to rebuild this place to make it a winning team.”
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