Paddy Lowe reaffirms his support of Formula Student

We are delighted to have the support of Paddy Lowe, Chief Technical Officer at Williams Martini Racing.

“I’m very proud to be an ambassador of Formula Student. It’s a fantastic platform for young engineers to find ways to apply their engineering skills that they’re learning during their academic studies. Engineers naturally want to be hands on and make stuff! - and with a university degree it’s obviously very academic. Formula Student brings those academic skills to life. The level of work is extraordinary. There are some incredible cars being produced, and the technology is quite breath-taking. It’s a great testament to the quality of the initiative and the competitors.

It’s also fantastic for bringing people together, because engineering is about more than technical ability - it’s about communication, teamwork, endeavour and innovation. All of those things are brought together in Formula Student. I’m very proud to attend the finals event every year and see first-hand what the students are doing, and hopefully give some inspiration to a new generation of engineers. It’s also not just about motorsport, it’s about promoting engineering as a whole. Many of the people involved in Formula Student don’t end up taking up a career in motorsport, that’s not the point, it’s about taking up a career in engineering. All the qualities that you can learn through competition will be extremely valuable in the years ahead.”

After graduating from the University of Cambridge in 1984 with a degree in Engineering, Paddy joined Williams as Join Head of Electronics. Paddy spent six years at Williams, including overseeing development work of the active suspension on the FW14B which led Nigel Mansell to his 1992 World Championship success. Also being involved with the 1987 and 1993 cars that won both the Drivers’ and Constructors’ World Championships. 

In 1993 Paddy moved to McLaren as Head of Research and Development, which was renamed Vehicle Technology, where he remained until 2001 when he was appointed Chief Engineer of Systems Development. 

In 2005 Paddy took on the role of Engineering Director, where he oversaw Lewis Hamilton’s Championship success of 2008, before becoming Technical Director in 2011. Paddy moved to Mercedes AMG-Petronas in 2013 as Executive Director. During his time there he oversaw three consecutive Constructors’ Championships and three consecutive Drivers’ Championships with Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg.

After 24 years away Paddy returned to Williams in 2017 and Chief Technical Officer and as a member of the company’s Board of Directors.