Pat Symonds has refused to deny reports that Paddy Lowe will replace him as Williams technical boss.
It is strongly rumoured that, with Lowe's Mercedes contract ending, the Briton is linked with a return to Williams to replace the soon-to-retire 63-year-old Symonds.
"Our team policy forbids us to talk about contracts," Symonds told Italy's La Gazzetta dello Sport.
"But it is clear that I will step back from the front line at some point in time. That doesn't mean it will happen at the end of the coming season.
"But it is important to me that I leave the team in good hands.
"All I can say about Paddy Lowe is this: the results that Mercedes has achieved speak for themselves."
Symonds has been chief technical officer at Williams since 2013.
