Williams appoint new chief engineer from Mercedes after long-term Brackley career

Williams has bolstered its technical leadership with a new appointment, securing a long-time staffer from the Mercedes team.

Dan Milner will join the Grove-based squad as chief engineer of vehicle technology, where he will oversee the team’s car development programmes.

Dan Milner joins Williams

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Dan Milner started work at Williams on Wednesday, following a three-month period of gardening leave after finishing up with Mercedes in January.

Milner has joined Williams after 14 years with Toto Wolff’s squad, most recently serving as chief engineer of research and development, a role he’d occupied since late 2023.

During his time with Mercedes, he had also led work on power unit and chassis integration and previously headed the transmission design department.

His experience at Brackley dates back even further, including roles during the team’s earlier iterations as Brawn GP and Honda Racing, before becoming a systems engineer and being promoted to a Mercedes lead powertrain engineer and, later, moving into senior development positions.

After making the switch to Grove, he will work under technical director Matt Harman and chief technical officer Pat Fry.

“I’m thrilled to be joining Williams as chief engineer across vehicle technology,” Milner said of his switch.

“After 20 years of association with Brackley, it’s the right moment to take on a new challenge. Williams has a clear, ambitious plan to move forward, and I’m looking forward to bringing my experience and knowledge to help accelerate that journey.

“I can’t wait to meet the team, learn the organisation and get to work converting ideas into performance on track.”

Harman added, “Dan brings broad experience and clear leadership. He has led major programmes across R&D and powertrains, turning ideas into performance, and he knows how to bring teams together to deliver.

“Dan will be central to our vehicle technology plan and to converting innovation into consistent performance gains on track, so we’re thrilled to have him on board as we continue our plans of bringing Williams back to the front of the grid.”

Milner has also gained experience outside Formula 1, including being the head of design group with INEOS Britannia in the America’s Cup in 2021 and ’22.

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