Having been on a leave of absence for close to four months, Paddy Lowe is leaving Williams and stepping down from the board of directors “with immediate effect”.

After a challenging pre-season, which saw the team miss their shakedown and the opening two days of testing because of delays to the new car’s production, it was announced Lowe would be taking a leave of absence for personal reasons.

Ahead of this weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix, which Williams head to bottom of the constructors’ championship without a point on the board, Lowe’s departure has been confirmed in a statement.