Is Williams giving away the 2025 season prematurely despite good tests? Team boss James Vowles disagrees – but the right focus is crucial with the main goal in mind.
With a fresh wind in the team thanks to the signing of Carlos Sainz, Williams is heading into the 2025 season. For the first time in a long while, an experienced Grand Prix winner is driving for the traditional Grove-based team. The last time this was the case was in 2019 with Robert Kubica, although the Pole is not a role model for success, as he never really got back on track with Williams on his F1 comeback.
Getting back on track is also the long-term goal for the former world champion team for the future, issued by none other than team principal James Vowles. To achieve this, the team in Grove is also willing to sacrifice at least part of the current season, something that the Williams drivers have made no secret of despite a successful pre-season.
Because despite this, Sainz spoke of a year of transition and Albon of a “strange situation”, with all teams already focusing on the major rule revolution in 2026. However, Vowles emphasizes that focusing on something else does not mean writing off the present – and he reassures fans about the upcoming season:
Vowles makes a promise: “We will fight”
“Here is my first promise. We, and that includes Alex and Carlos, will go to every single race and fight to take every single point we can get,” the Briton does not want to waste away in 2025. ‘This message is quite clear,’ the team boss emphasizes.
“The car we drove now (at the shakedown and test) is our tool for this year. And of course, more parts will come,” Vowles explains, saying that there will definitely be a certain amount of development at Williams. But: “My point in all of this is that our fate is sealed to a certain extent.”
But not for 2026: “That’s why I just want to make sure that we focus on where there are really big opportunities to make a difference. And that’s 2026. You start with a blank sheet of paper, there’s nothing you’re carrying over,” the Williams team principal makes clear how drastic the change is for the teams.
“And that’s why the drivers and I talk about it that way, because it’s a huge opportunity for us to make sure we restart in some areas where we just haven’t been good enough to set the standards for how we’ll perform in 2026,” Vowles said. But for him, approaching 2025 with less passion is out of the question: “I’ll still be in Melbourne, screaming and making sure we get every point.”
