Long-time Williams technical chief Patrick Head has confirmed that he will leave the Grove team's Formula One operations at the end of 2011, switching to working for the team's hybrid technology arm instead.
Head established the Williams team along with team owner Sir Frank Williams back in 1977, working as the team's technical director until 2004 when he handed over that role to Sam Michael.
Since then, he has worked as the team's director of engineering, but Head confirmed after this weekend's Brazilian Grand Prix that he will step away from the F1 team at the end of the year.
Instead, Head will switch to working for the new Williams Hybrid Power company, working on their new flywheel-based energy recovery systems that was originally set to be their KERS device for 2009.
"Certainly it is not the word retirement but I am not going to be directly part of the Williams F1 programme next year," Head told the Autosport website on Monday.
"I am going to be doing some work for Williams Hybrid Power, which may sound a bit dry and dull but it is actually quite high tech and quite interesting.
"However, it even sounds more dull, because albeit most motorsport activities are quite interesting, for the company, it is buses and intercity railways and that is where the commercial side shall be."
He added that he was not particularly happy to leave Williams at the end of their worst-ever F1 season, which has seen them rack up just five points in the championship, but said that he could not justify staying with the team's reshuffled technical staff.
""I certainly did not have an ambition to end my involvement in F1 with the season I have just had behind us," he lamented.
"But when I have a look at what specifically I can do to assist Mike Coughlan, and Mark Gillan and Jason Somerville, I came to the conclusion that it isn't enough for me to carry on justifying doing the same thing.
"It is not interesting for me; it is not good for the company. I decided to have a change of focus now."
Williams Hybrid technology has been immensely successful in endurance racing with Porsche. The new Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid car won a round of the Nurburgring Endurance Series earlier this year.
The same car was also classified 10th overall in an American Le Mans Series race at Laguna Seca, despite racing in a guest class of it's own.
Head oversaw all seven of Williams' drivers titles, and their nine constructors championship during his tenure with the team.
However, the team has slipped down the grid this year, and finished some 36 points behind their nearest challenger in the 2011 championship, ahead of only F1's three new teams Lotus, HRT and Virgin.
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