The AT&T Williams F1 team 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 at the end of their current contracts.

In response to their resignations Frank Williams, Team Principal, said: “Both Sam and Jon are talented and driven people who have worked hard for Williams over 10 and five years respectively. 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.”

It was also announced that Mike Coughlan will join the team in June 2011 in the role of Chief Engineer.

Mike Coughlan undertook his training and education at Rolls Royce and Brunel University. He began his Formula One career at Lotus where he worked his way up to Chief Designer. He subsequently worked for Tyrell, Ferrari and Arrows before joining McLaren in 2002 as Chief Designer. Mike left Formula One in 2007 as a result of his role in the ‘Spygate’ affair. Since then, Mike has applied his skills principally as Chief Engineer in the development of the Ocelot Light Protected Patrol Vehicle. He joins Williams F1 from NASCAR competitor, Michael Waltrip Racing.

Frank Williams, Team Principal, said: “Mike Coughlan is a fine engineer with extensive experience across Formula One and both civil and defence engineering. He left Formula One in 2007 because of conduct which he acknowledges was wrong and which he profoundly regrets. His two year ban from the sport expired some time ago and Mike is now determined to prove himself again.

Williams is delighted to be able to give him the opportunity to do this and we are very pleased to have one of the most talented and competitive engineers in the sport helping us to return to the front of the grid. This is the first step in re‐building and strengthening our technical group. We will announce the next steps as they develop.”

Mike Coughlan commented, “I am grateful to Williams for giving me this opportunity. My experience in 2007 was life‐changing. Since then, I have endeavoured to put my skills to good use in the design of the Ocelot vehicle whose purpose is to transport soldiers in safety. I have also enjoyed my time with Michael Waltrip Racing: they are an excellent race team and I wish them well for the future. Now, I am looking forward to returning to a sport which I love and to joining a team that I have admired for many years. I will dedicate myself to the team and to ensuring that we return to competitiveness while respecting the ethical standards with which Williams has always been synonymous.”

In response to the decision by Sam Michael to leave Williams at the end of the year CEO Adam Parr said that it was a blow to the team. Parr said that the departure of Michael is disappointing.

Parr said: "Obviously the start to the season we've had has been unacceptable - and not merely because the performance was poor but because we were not expecting it at that level.

"Sam and I have been talking through the situation from the beginning of the season and he came to the conclusion that he should stand down at the end of the year to give the team the opportunity to rebuild, renew itself and set the right technical direction for the future.

"With some reluctance I accepted his resignation, and that is because I am very fond of Sam. We have worked together for five years and I was looking forward to working alongside him for a long time in the future. So it has been a blow personally, and for the team, to lose him."

As for the possibility of Michael staying with the team if their fortunes improved Parr said: "I think that the path is set. I think it would create too much uncertainty if we chopped and changed.

"If you look at last year, we did start the season poorly and we recovered pretty well, so I am expecting we will do that this year. But the fact is that what we didn't do was build on a strong start. That is a cycle that we must break now, and we need a fresh approach."

Parr also explained how he had also offered his resignation as a result of him feeling that he was responsible for the poor start to the Formula One season that the Williams team has had in 2011.

Parr said: "I tendered my resignation to Frank, Patrick and Toto. I am responsible and I took the responsibility to do whatever they wanted to do." But his resignation was not accepted.