Williams has announced a new addition to its engineering department in an effort to bolster performance for the remainder of the 2016 FIA Formula One World Championship campaign onwards.
Antonio Spagnolo (middle), former head of Tire Performance Group with Ferrari, has joined the Williams Operations Group this week as competitor analysis and performance concept team leader.
In this role, which is focussed on augmenting car performance, Spagnolo will concentrate on understanding competitor strengths and identifying areas of the FW38 and wider Williams team’s performance which require prioritisation of resources. Williams states that in view of his previous role at Ferrari, Spagnolo’s considerable experience will guide its restructured Tyre Performance Group to better understand and exploit both theoretical and practical aspects of tire performance.
Spagnolo has held various roles with Ferrari, including race and performance engineer to Kimi Räikkönen and Fernando Alonso respectively. Antonio has been with Ferrari since 2005, during which time it has won two Constructors’ titles, in 2007 and ’08, and the ’07 Drivers’ title with Räikkönen. His experience and expertise will be a valuable addition to the Operations Group where he will report in to head of performance engineering, Rob Smedley.
“Williams is determined to continue the positive momentum it has had since 2014 and, with new additions to the team, hopes to become even stronger,” explained Pat Symonds, Williams chief technical officer. “We are constantly seeing ways to improve our performance and trackside operations and believe Antonio will make a valuable contribution to this process. As a team, we will do our utmost to achieve our on-track ambitions and secure strong positions in the Constructors’ Championship this season, and beyond.”
