The Jaguar racing team failed in its attempt to lure McLaren’s technical director, Adrian Newey, to their camp earlier this year, but the hunt continues. Niki Lauda’s team is reportedly after the services of the men who developed Williams’s impressive FW23.
It appears Williams BMW could face a struggle to hold onto two key members of its technical team, chief aerodynamicist Gavin Fisher and chief designer Geoff Willis, following reports of lucrative offers from Jaguar Racing, Autosport reported on Thursday.
Jaguar is thought to have had talks with both Willis and Fisher, who were responsible for penning this year’s impressive BMW-powered FW23. In response, Williams team boss Sir Frank Williams has said that both are on long-term contracts, but admitted that losing either of them would certainly cause the Grove-based outfit problems.
“They are on long-term contracts and cannot go tomorrow,” Sir Frank said. “At the appropriate time we will discuss terms. It would be a big blow to us (to lose them) and one we would not be able to take in our stride.”
This is not the first time Lauda’s team has been linked to the design duo. Jaguar is thought to have made approaches to both men in August this year after a failed attempt to secure the services of Newey. Bobby Rahal, who was team boss at the time, denied any interest in hiring Willis and Fisher, but Lauda may be more belligerent his approach.
