Head returns to Williams as consultant

Patrick Head is to help Williams through a challenging period for the Formula One team.

Patrick Head stepped aside from Williams in 2011.

Beleaguered Williams has drafted in co-founder Patrick Head on a consultancy basis as it seeks to arrest the team's decline.

Head formed the team alongside Frank Williams in 1976 and, in his roles as technical director and director of engineering, he helped secure seven drivers' championships and nine constructors' crowns.

The 72-year-old stepped aside in 2011 but remained a shareholder and has been tempted back at a challenging time for Williams, which - with the exception of the former Force India outfit who were stripped of its points following a takeover - finished bottom of the constructors' standings last year.

The team's FW42 car was then not ready for the beginning of pre-season testing, leading to a costly loss of track time, while chief technical officer Paddy Lowe has taken a leave of absence for personal reasons.

In the opening race of the season in Australia, George Russell and Robert Kubica finished two and three laps off the pace respectively.

A Williams statement published by the Formula One website read: "We can confirm that Sir Patrick Head is currently offering some support to our engineering team on a short-term consultancy basis."