[analyse_image type=”featured” src=”https://cdn.crash.net/2026-04/xpb_1404106_hires.jpg?width=1600&aspect_ratio=16:9″]
Williams poach ex-Mercedes technical figure to aid F1 recovery
Dan Milner has joined Williams after spending 14 years with Mercedes.
Williams has announced the signing of Dan Milner from Mercedes, as the team’s new chief engineer for vehicle technology, as the team looks to recover from a difficult start to the 2026 Formula 1 season.
Milner brings significant championship-winning pedigree to Williams at a time when the team is battling to return to the midfield fight, with a car that Carlos Sainz has criticised for being overweight and lacking downforce.
Having worked his way up from a systems engineer position in 2011 to chief engineer, research and development, by November 2023, Milner has served a period of three months of gardening leave before starting his new venture with the Grove-based team.
“I’m thrilled to be joining Atlassian Williams F1 Team as Chief Engineer across Vehicle Technology,” he said.
“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.”
Milner’s time in Brackley extends back to 2006, when the team raced as Honda. Then a systems engineer, he continued as a research and development engineer during the successful Brawn GP season in 2009 before working in the Americas Cup with Ineos Brittannia.
In his new role, Williams states that Milner will deliver on and off-car performance, while driving development to “ensure rapid conversion of ideas into race performance.”
Technical director, Matt Harman, said: “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 Atlassian Williams F1 Team back to the front of the grid.”
In this article
More News
One driver “could already smell in December” Williams’ 2026 F1 “bump”
How the F1 2026 midfield battle is shaping up after two rounds
Why F1’s unexpected April break will be crucial for overweight Williams
F1 “trying to sell something we know isn’t right”, claims Carlos Sainz
‘Nothing fixes the car’ – Williams’ painful F1 2026 woes explained
Ferrari F1 engine transparency praised amid concerns about Mercedes customer treatment
Subscribe to our F1 Newsletter
Get the latest F1 news, exclusives, interviews and promotions from the paddock direct to your inbox
For more information see our Privacy Policy
Dan Milner has joined Williams after spending 14 years with Mercedes.
Williams has announced the signing of Dan Milner from Mercedes, as the team’s new chief engineer for vehicle technology, as the team looks to recover from a difficult start to the 2026 Formula 1 season.
Milner brings significant championship-winning pedigree to Williams at a time when the team is battling to return to the midfield fight, with a car that Carlos Sainz has criticised for being overweight and lacking downforce.
Having worked his way up from a systems engineer position in 2011 to chief engineer, research and development, by November 2023, Milner has served a period of three months of gardening leave before starting his new venture with the Grove-based team.
“I’m thrilled to be joining Atlassian Williams F1 Team as Chief Engineer across Vehicle Technology,” he said.
“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.”
Milner’s time in Brackley extends back to 2006, when the team raced as Honda. Then a systems engineer, he continued as a research and development engineer during the successful Brawn GP season in 2009 before working in the Americas Cup with Ineos Brittannia.
In his new role, Williams states that Milner will deliver on and off-car performance, while driving development to “ensure rapid conversion of ideas into race performance.”
Technical director, Matt Harman, said: “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 Atlassian Williams F1 Team back to the front of the grid.”
Williams has announced the signing of Dan Milner from Mercedes, as the team’s new chief engineer for vehicle technology, as the team looks to recover from a difficult start to the 2026 Formula 1 season.
Milner brings significant championship-winning pedigree to Williams at a time when the team is battling to return to the midfield fight, with a car that Carlos Sainz has criticised for being overweight and lacking downforce.
Having worked his way up from a systems engineer position in 2011 to chief engineer, research and development, by November 2023, Milner has served a period of three months of gardening leave before starting his new venture with the Grove-based team.
“I’m thrilled to be joining Atlassian Williams F1 Team as Chief Engineer across Vehicle Technology,” he said.
“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.”
Milner’s time in Brackley extends back to 2006, when the team raced as Honda. Then a systems engineer, he continued as a research and development engineer during the successful Brawn GP season in 2009 before working in the Americas Cup with Ineos Brittannia.
In his new role, Williams states that Milner will deliver on and off-car performance, while driving development to “ensure rapid conversion of ideas into race performance.”
Technical director, Matt Harman, said: “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 Atlassian Williams F1 Team back to the front of the grid.”
[analyse_source url=”http://crash.net/f1/news/1092942/1/williams-poach-ex-mercedes-technical-figure-aid-f1-recovery”]