James Vowles, who worked with Lewis Hamilton for a long time, believes his ex-team Mercedes will suffer a short-term setback
He was one of the masterminds behind the great Mercedes successes of the 2010s and knows Lewis Hamilton like no other: Williams team boss James Vowles has commented on the sensational switch of the record Formula 1 winner and world champion. The fact that Hamilton is moving to Ferrari came as less of a surprise to him than the timing
“The timing surprised me,” admits the 44-year-old. “He always wanted to sit in a Ferrari at some point in his career.” The fact that Hamilton will take this step at the age of 40 also impresses him.
However, he is not surprised that he is going to Ferrari: “Most champions have been there or wanted to go there. After all, it’s still the most successful team in Formula 1 and you can’t ignore that. It spurs you on to question everything.”
Vowles has been part of the team since BAR days, which was once called Tyrrell and later became Honda, Brawn GP and finally Mercedes. Jacques Villeneuve, Jenson Button, Michael Schumacher, Nico Rosberg, Lewis Hamilton – he experienced them all before moving to Williams as Team Principal in 2023.
A step that is certainly comparable to the one Hamilton is now taking: “It is the biggest challenge for a person to get out of a comfort zone and go to a place where there is no such comfort. It challenges you, it pushes you to the limit. And Lewis loves that.” For his part, Vowles said that he felt “comfortable” at Mercedes – probably too comfortable.
“It’s good for the sport that he’s doing this,” he continued about his former star driver. “And it’s good for Lewis because he loves challenges and will learn from them. “
It’s less good for Mercedes, but only in the short term: “It’s not good for Mercedes in the short term. But you will see that they will have no problems finding good drivers. And that will make them stronger. In the medium term, it’s a good thing for everyone.”
James Vowles’ Williams team presented its 2024 FW46 racing car today, Monday. Logan Sergeant and Alexander Albon will drive the blue car again this year. Albon is being touted as a possible successor in the driver carousel for 2025 – either as Lewis Hamilton’s successor at Mercedes or as a potential candidate for a return to Red Bull.
