Patrick Head

Patrick Head (born on June 5th 1945) with Farnborough, England is the cofounder, with Frank Williams of the stable of Formule 1 Williams.

In 25 years and this since 1977, Head was the chief technical officer of Williams Grand Prix Engineering and is at the origin of a great number of innovations Formulates 1 of them. Head supervised the design and the construction of the single-seater Williams until May 2004 when it passed the torch to the Australia N Sam Michael. Rather frankly, Head with the practice to say what he thinks of the whole of the employees and the press, making of him a particularly popular character in F1.

Career

Patrick Head was born in the world from the automobile sport. His/her father controlled for Jaguar in the Années 1950. He accepted an education deprived with the Wellington College (Berkshire)]. After having left the school, Head joined the Royal Navy but it realized rather quickly that it was not made to continue a military career. It left the army and entered to the university, initially with Birmingham then with Bournemouth. Head was graduate of mechanical ingienery in 1970 of UCL and integrated at once the rows of the manufacturer of frame Lola into Huntingdon. It then bound friendship with John Barnard (which will concevera single-seaters for the account of Benetton and Ferrari and which will be in competition against Williams.

Head is then implied in many projects in automotive engineering and engineering (It is besides during this period that it met Frank Williams). Finally, taking into account the failures which its projects meet, Head leaves the automobile race to work in the construction of boats.

In 1976, Frank Williams, then 34 years old, decide that it is time for him to launch his own team and then decides to make return Head in Formule1. After a first fallen through attempt, on February 8th 1977, Williams Grand Prix Engineering is rested by Williams and Head, respectively taking 70% and 30% of the shares of the stable. In 1977, the stable starts by taking part in the competition as a customer of March but in 1978, with the contribution of " Saudi Airlines" and enrôlement of the Australian pilot Alan Jones, the first car designed by Patrick Head, the FW06 made its first appearance. Although in lack of budget (so much so that even Williams must lead these businesses since a phone box, the invoice not having been paid), Head succeeds in creating a car with the completely suitable preformances.

The following season, Williams marks 11 points with the championship manufacturer and finishes 9th: it is as from this moment that the stable starts to be built. At the time of the season 1979, Jones climbs on the podium at the end of the fourth handle. This same year, a car designed by Head will gain the first of the hundred victories which the stable with the GP of the United Kingdom will obtain. At the time of this season, four additional victories will be taken down and Patrick Head will become as from this moment a reference in matièere of design of frame.

The years 1980

Creations of Head were among the best, in particular bringing Jones and the team towards two titles, and made it possible Williams to fight with the best. With successes which followed during the years 1980, Head started to delegate the various fields of design of a single-seater to the profit of a role which it creates, that of " director technique" , a person who supervises the design, construction, the tests and obviously the participation in travel of the single-seater, an innovation which will extend to the unit from the disciplines. During this period, it is to be credited with several revolutionary concepts like the single-seater with six wheels which was to test in 1982 or the transmission continuement variable which makes it possible an engine to remain with a number of revolutions per optimum minute during the whole of the turn. Unfortunately, none of these two systems was finally used because of a change of regulations ascribable to the pressure exerted by the other teams worry about the means in term of costs and time necessaries to develop their own systems.

In 1986, Patrick Head, with the assistance of the other members of the staff of Williams, was forced to ensure the management of the team when Frank Williams was seriously wounded at the time of a road accident. In spite of this tragic fact, and under the interim of Head, the stable ensured the title of the manufacturers in 1986 as well as doubled the pilot-manufacturer in 1987 with the Brazilian pilot Nelson Piquet.

Heritage and retirement

Many engineers in Formula 1, like Adrian Newey, Neil Oatley, Ross Brawn, Frank Dernie, Egbahl Hamidy, Geoff Willis or Enrique Scalabroni had to work under the orders of Patrick Head during their career and all evolved/moved with functions advanced in other stables.

The most outstanding example is perhaps that of Ross Brawn which was an immense success as an chief technical officer of Ferrari, after having made obtain its first championships of the world with Michael Schumacher at Benetton. However, the most profitable association took place in 1990 when Williams engaged Adrian Newey, then recently dismissed of its technical position of director of Leyton House. The two engineers quickly will form an extraordinary association bringing Williams to a domination which will be equalized then only at the time of the era Ferrari/Schumacher at the time of the following decade. Between 1991 and 1997, Williams gained four pilot titles and four titles manufacturers with a total of 59 victories in races.

Since the departure of Newey in 1996 Williams showed a certain exhaustion seldom able to fight for the victory during more one or two races during the season. Finally, in 2004, the information fell according to which Patrick Head gave up his technical position of director with the profit of Sam Michael, Australian 33 years. ----

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