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Williams Hires Mercedes Veteran Dan Milner to Lead Vehicle Technology

The move targets faster development to fix an underperforming 2026 car.

Overview

  • Williams, which announced the hire Thursday, named Dan Milner chief engineer for vehicle technology to steer its car development effort.
  • In the post, Milner is tasked with turning new ideas into lap-time gains, with the team stressing faster conversion of development work into race performance.
  • He will work within the Grove leadership group under technical director Matt Harman and chief technical officer Pat Fry after serving a short gardening leave earlier this year.
  • Milner spent 14 years at Mercedes — rising to chief engineer for R&D and previously leading power unit–chassis integration and transmission design — and earlier worked through the Honda and Brawn GP eras, plus a stint with Ineos Britannia in the America’s Cup.
  • The appointment follows a rough start to 2026 that drivers linked to excess weight and weak downforce, and Williams frames the hire as a step toward steady gains rather than an instant on-track jump.