25/09/2011
NEWS STORY
Mat Coch writes:
When the chequered flag falls later today it won't just signal the end of the race, it will also signal the end of an era at Williams. After more than a decade with the team, Technical Director Sam Michael will say his final goodbyes to the outfit he's led since 2004.
"I leave Williams with a very good relationship with the company," he said. "I have nothing but good memories of the place but it's time for a change after so many seasons.
"It's been a great eleven seasons with them. I think they were such a prestigious name and it's been an honour to work with Frank and Patrick."
After a disappointing start to the year Michael tended his resignation to the team in May, along with chief aerodynamicist Jon Tomlinson, accepting responsibility for the team's lack of performance. At the time it was announced that both would stay on with the team until the end of the season however, McLaren recently confirmed they'd acquired Michael's services as its Sporting Director.
Highly respected within the pit lane, it was important to Michael to ensure he finished with the Grove outfit on good terms. "I have a contract with Williams and I have a lot of respect for the people there," he told reporters. "Not just Adam (Parr) and Frank and Patrick, but all the people who work throughout the company. I know all the people from the composite laminators to the aerodynamicists, to the people who build the models. They've all got jobs and families and I want to make sure they've got the best thing going forward."
Showing its faith in Michael's professionalism the team has entrusted its race weekend with the 40-year-old on what will be his final day with the company. "It's very important for me to finish properly at Williams. I guess the ultimate testimony to that is that the only senior people at this race, six months after I resigned, are myself and Mark (Gillan) who's just started.
"Frank and Patrick and Adam trust me to run the race team like that the day before I finish with the company, and I'm quite proud of that."
Michael's replacement at Williams, Mark Gillan, has been in Singapore observing the team's processes ahead of taking over the role full time at the Japanese Grand Prix. "All Mark's come along to do is to shadow the things that I do," Michael explained. "There's obviously bits and pieces he'll want to change on the pit wall and things like that, but we've left all that the same this weekend just so Mark can observe."
Singapore therefore marks the end of the Australian's tenure with Williams. During that time he's overseen success for the team during the BMW era, and managed it from a technical standpoint during a tumultuous period which saw the team change engine suppliers four times in six years.
Moving in to his new role at McLaren sees Michael take the next step in what has already been a long and successful career. "We've made him a proposal to say that we think perhaps his strength lies in working operationally in the field with the race team," Martin Whitmarsh explained. "It excludes engineering and everything else there. He will not have the ultimate technical authority because I think we've got a strong technical team, but all other parts will come under his remit, so how we run as a race team in the field will be his responsibility.
"His job is quite simply as sporting director to make sure McLaren is the best and most feared racing team in the world."
Details of when Michael will join McLaren are yet to be finalised, though a decision is expected in the coming days. "There's still a discussion between Williams and McLaren," the Australian admitted. "My contract runs until the first of March (with Williams). At the moment we're just discussing whether that can start earlier (at McLaren)."