Atlassian Williams F1 Team welcomes Piers Thynne from McLaren in new strategic leadership role as team adds senior talent from across the grid
Piers Thynne joins as Chief Optimisation and Planning Officer to transform manufacturing capability and harness cutting-edge technology
Published
21 MAY 2026
Est. reading time
3 min
Atlassian Williams F1 Team is pleased to announce the recruitment of Piers Thynne from McLaren as the team’s new Chief Optimisation and Planning Officer, starting in August.
Piers joins Williams in a newly-created strategic role to lead and transform manufacturing and operations at the team in pursuit of long-term success.
As Chief Operating Officer at McLaren until January, Piers was central to the operational and cultural transformation that underpinned back-to-back Constructors’ Championships in 2024 and 2025.
Bringing more than 25 years of operations and manufacturing leadership, he will join the senior leadership group and be responsible for streamlining processes, optimising resources and deploying cutting-edge technology including robotics, AI and advanced manufacturing to modernise Williams’ facilities and set a new benchmark in Formula 1.
Piers Thynne, incoming Chief Optimisation and Planning Officer:
“I am delighted to be joining Atlassian Williams F1 Team at what is a really exciting moment. Williams has clear ambition to be championship level in all areas and set new standards in the sport, and I can’t wait to play my part in that as a member of the senior leadership group. I have enjoyed a fantastic time at McLaren, helping bring the team back to the top, and hope we will be able to do the same at Williams.”
Piers’ appointment comes as Atlassian Williams F1 Team also welcomes three new senior technical leaders, bringing years of championship-winning experience to add strength in depth to the enormous talent already at Grove.
Claire Simpson has been appointed Head of Aerodynamic Development, joining Williams after 12 years at Mercedes where she progressed to Group Leader and was a key part of the team that won eight Constructors’ titles. The newly-created role will see Claire work in close partnership with Chief Aerodynamicist Juan Molina to further strengthen Williams’ aero capabilities.
Fred Judd is the team’s new Head of Performance Optimisation, joining from Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains where he served in a wide range of roles over 17 years including Chief Trackside Engineer at Mercedes and leading the 2026 power unit development programme. Having operated at the interface of power unit and chassis performance throughout his career, Fred will provide expert technical leadership to Williams’ Performance Systems Optimisation team which has been built over the past 15 months.
Steve Booth has joined Williams as Head of Vehicle Engineering from Alpine, where he was Chief Engineer across the 2022 and 2026 regulation changes. Bringing more than 20 years of experience in F1, Steve was part of the Renault squad that won consecutive Constructors’ titles in 2005 and 2006 and will run the day-to-day technical and people requirements of car design.
Between them the new recruits have worked on 12 championship-winning cars and bring more than 65 years of experience to the team. They follow the arrival of Dan Milner from Mercedes as Chief Engineer – Vehicle Technology in April, with more senior leaders from across the grid to come over the next few months.
James Vowles, Team Principal:
“I am thrilled to be welcoming Piers to Atlassian Williams F1 Team as we continue investing in the people, processes and technology to compete at the front in Formula 1. We are clear in our ambition to build a team that can win World Championships, and Piers has unrivalled recent experience in doing exactly that. I am also delighted to welcome Claire, Fred and Steve - we are attracting extremely talented strategic recruits from throughout the paddock who will add to the foundations we have already put in place over the past few years and help take us to the next level.”
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