The Williams Formula 1 team is working on ﷽finding a replacement for outgoing chief technical officer Paddy Lowe following his departur🐽e.

Lowe’s exit from Williams was officially confirmed last week after a lengthy period of leave whiꦏch began in March following a disrupted start to the team’s pre-season preparations.

The Grove-based outfit has endured a nightmare start to the 2019 season with its uncompetitive FW42 and sits bottom of the co♏nstructors’ championship as the only team yet to score a point from the opening nine rounds.

Chiefꦜ designer Doug McKiernan has spearꩵheaded Williams’ technical team in Lowe’s absence.

“We’re happy with the technical management team that we have, and we’re looking at the options that 🧔are available to us now and what would fit most appropriately with our structure,” deputy team principal Claire Williams said in Austria.

“As soon as we’ve made a decision, and we can make an༒ announcement♊, we’ll share it.

“We’ve got to focus on the here a🎃nd now, and the future, and that’s what we’re doing bac🐠k at Grove in earnest,” she added.

“A lot of work is going on behind the scenes to make sure that we put Williams in the best possible position moving forward, from everyday ܫmoving forwards, not for 2020, not for 2021, but for right now.

“We have a very capable technical management team in place that have been working since Paddy’s leave of absence sta𒐪rted back in March.

“So our chief design💧er Doug McKiernan💛 and Adam Carter, who’s our head of design, and Dave Robson who runs engineering trackside, and they’re working really well together.”

McLar𒆙en engineering director Pat Fry is undꦫerstood to be in the process of leaving the team and could be an attractive option for Williams given his vast experience in F1. 

Williams said the team plans to bring 🎉further upgrades prior to the summer break and fe🌞els the British squad is heading in the right direction.

“I think as everybody has seen over the paꦗst few races, we’ve been able to bring new parts to the track, the majority of which have been adopted because they’ve shown greater levels of performance, and we’re slowly closing that gap,” she said.

“I think as everybody knows now, we’ve got more parts coming prior to shutdown that will hopefully bring greater performance🍨 to the car as well. We’re making good steps in the right direction, and tha🔯t’s really nice to see.

“It’s been incredibly difficult for everybody at Williams over the last many, many months now, and it﷽ finally feels like we’re heading in the right direction again. There’s more of a spring in everybody’s step, so to speak.”