[NeilP]

I am big F1 fan but with very limited knowledge on the technical side of things I would appreciate some comments from a lot of you very knowledgeable guys as to what on earth has happened to Williams. It is as though they have fallen off a cliff. Obviously their budget is nowhere near the manufacturers teams but from what 3rd in 2015 they have slumped the very back of the pack.

I was quite surprised when Mercedes dropped Paddy Lowe but I guess with James Allison out there and being a rising star so to speak I understand the move. Is Lowe primarily responsible for this drop off in performance with his design work?  I mean the car looked almost undriveable at times this past weekend.

I understand their two drivers are in essence pay to drive guys but certainly Stroll whilst not a brilliant driver he did have some decent races in 2017. Sirotkin I do not think is ever going to be a F1 quality driver.

Educate me guys....

[Jody Barton]

What has happened to Williams... I think 2014 and 2015 flattered to deceive because the Mercedes engine was so much better than the rest, and in Bottas and Massa they had two very good drivers. It is as simple as that for their solid performance, coupled with RBR and Renault having a meltdown.

They've not had a "leader" in the garage for years. They have made awful chassis's for well over a decade, and are prone to panic changes swinging from one extreme to the next in an attempt to solve their problems, rather than just iterating on what they have. This essentially means they start from a new baseline every year and don't build up consistent data. Throw in rapidly shifting personnel changes and supposed internal warring factions and you have Williams.

Then enter Paddy 'experimental' Lowe who would use a rivet gun instead of a stapler to staple his CV together. The man flatters to deceive. He got lucky with some of his wacky experiments first time around at Williams, got snapped up by McLaren who promoted him to his level of incompetence. He is responsible for some of the worst McLarens in history. His craziness was reigned in by the embarrassment of engineering riches at Mercedes, not so at Williams, the result is their wacky rear suspension that apparently is wonderfully aero efficient, but makes the car undriveable.

Throw in two of the worst pay to driver drivers the sport has ever seen and you have this unholy mess. I just do not see them turning it around, and the loss of their Martini title sponsor will hurt them big time. They're in trouble, and the only way out is to do a Haas and go cap in hand to Mercedes and ask for B-teams status, take on George Russell and Wehrlein and get back on track.

[LotusLover]

I actually think they need to oust Claire Williams its clear there is a lack of harnony in their garage. It was a power struggle between her and her brother according to the documentary plus team selection throughout has been average to say the least especially in the drivers department. Shame because a once great team but in F1 it neans nothing as money talks

[morini]

I'm not sure you can blame Paddy Lowe for all of Williams woes. Mercedes wouldn't have recruited him from McLaren if he was that bad. From what I could gather (a few years back, admittedly) Hamilton was very pleased when Lowe went to Mercedes.

No doubt you have more information than me Jody, but I thought Lowe was pretty well respected in F1 engineering circles?

[Jody Barton]

Lowe is a smart guy... no question Morini. However, I've heard the rivet gun joke about him from a number of F1 insiders. He has a tendency to go to revolution as opposed to evolution, often for the sake of it. He is however considered meticulous in his approach. So reign him in with the likes of Aldo Costa etc. and he's an asset. Put him in charge of the big decisions and it'll be hit and miss.

I'm not blaming Lowe for Williams woes either. I said they haven't built a good chassis for over a decade. That's not Lowe. He's also walked into a team that is at war with itself with supposedly 3 or 4 factions, and Lowe is not a "leader" nor is he the big boss the team need to bring it all together. Again, not his fault, but he isn't going to be the solution either.

I tend to agree with LotusLover on this one, Claire Williams has to carry the can. She has presided over this decline and continuing debacle. She has allowed the internal squabbles to go on unchecked, and harm the teams prospects.

In funding Williams are actually the 4th or 5th best funded team. True it is now nip and tuck between themselves McLaren and Renault, but given the resources, and the donkey in the back of their car, they should be killing Force India. The top brass need firing, trouble is it won't happen because it's Claire, so she'll continue to fire those within the team who point out the failings are hers.

[morini]

All good points. They need new leadership, without question.