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Williams Names Former Mercedes R&D Leader Dan Milner Chief Engineer for Vehicle Technology

The move signals Williams’ push to turn R&D ideas into race-day gains.

Overview

  • Williams announced the hire Thursday, placing Milner in charge of converting development work into performance on track.
  • The team says his brief covers on-car and off-car performance with a focus on rapid delivery of upgrades that show up in lap time.
  • Milner brings roughly two decades at Brackley that span Honda, Brawn’s 2009 title season, and 14 years at Mercedes, including senior roles in R&D, power unit–chassis integration, and transmission design.
  • He begins after a reported three-month gardening leave, a common F1 cooling-off period that helps teams protect recent design know-how during staff moves.
  • Williams frames the hire as part of its recovery plan for a 2026 car that drivers, including Carlos Sainz, have called overweight with too little downforce.