Mark Gillan, Operations Director at Williams, leaves the team
It is a central piece of Williams' revival that has just departed: Mark Gillan, its operations director, has decided to step down to spend more time with his family.
Director of Operations at Williams, Mark Gillan has decided to leave the Grove team to dedicate more time to his family. The British engineer was recruited in June 2011—with his role becoming effective on October 1—in the midst of a catastrophic season for Williams. Indeed, during the worst year since its inception, the team finished ninth in the championship, far from the standards of the team founded by Sir Frank Williams.
He then leveraged his past experience at McLaren, Jaguar, and Toyota to implement structures and processes that allowed Williams to return to victory at the Spanish Grand Prix. If the drivers, particularly Pastor Maldonado, had made fewer mistakes on track during the season, when significant points were sometimes at stake, the team could have even claimed fifth place in the Constructors’ Championship.
However, the 20 races per year seem to have worn down Mark Gillan’s resistance, who will therefore likely resume his role as a professor in aerodynamics at the University of Surrey, a position he held for two years before joining Williams.
Given that he was directly under the orders of technical director Mike Coughlan, Mark Gillan had a key role during Grand Prix weekends. His replacement will therefore have a significant impact on the team’s revival.
With the participation of www.Racingbusiness.fr
