Williams chief technical officer Paddy Lowe is to take a « leave of absence » from Formula 1, the team confirmed to reporters on Wednesday.
The team missed the opening two and a half days of testing for the 2019 season due to the late completion of the car, with deputy team principal Claire Williams describing the delay as « embarrassing ».
Williams’ 2018 car finished bottom of the championship — the team’s worst ever season — although both Lowe and Claire Williams insisted throughout pre-season that his job was safe.
But a spokesperson for the team said that Rowe will be « taking a leave of absence from the business for personal reasons », in a message sent to a media WhatsApp group. The team did not say how the leave of absence would affect his long-term future.
The 2019 Formula 1 season is just over one week away with the opening race of the season taking place at the Australian Grand Prix on March 17.
http://www.espn.com/f1/story/_/id/26152775/williams-chief-paddy-lowe-takes-leave-formula-1-team
