Williams has today announced that technical director, Sam Michael, and chief aerodynamicist, Jon Tomlinson, have resigned from their positions within the company, to take effect at the end of 2011.

"Both Sam and Jon are talented and driven people who have worked hard for Williams over 10 and five years respectively," said team boss Frank Williams in a brief statement. "Nonetheless, they have recognised that the team's performance is not at the level that it needs to be and have resigned in order to give the team the opportunity to regroup and undertake the changes necessary to get back to the front of the grid. Both will continue to work in their present positions through until the end of the year to ensure that the team maintains focus and momentum during the 2011 season. We are very grateful to Sam and to Jon for their professional approach."

The departures, neither of which come as a surprise, come as the Grove outfit experiences its worst start to a season in living memory, the nine-time Constructors' Champions having only managed two finishes from six starts and having completed only 58.2% of the racing laps that constitute the season thus far.

With Patrick Head due to retire at the end of the year, and the recent floatation only providing money for his pension pot, one wonders where exactly the Grove team goes from here.

While Michael and Tomlinson have fallen on their swords, the problems go much, much deeper.