Team Principal James Vowles talks about the changes Williams has undergone since his arrival and explains why he is positive about the future
It must have been a bit of a culture shock for James Vowles when he left perennial constructors’ world champion Mercedes and joined Williams, then ranked tenth among constructors, as team principal. After all, the team’s production facilities and infrastructure were mercilessly outdated.
The fact that Williams finished seventh in 2023 despite the dilapidated infrastructure gives Vowles a great deal of pleasure: “Every time I look at our buildings, infrastructure, production facilities and working methods and realize how far behind we are, it encourages me.”
“The team had already done an incredible job before I arrived because they are passionate. They are a true racing team. Thanks to them, we are where we are at the moment and I can’t wait for all the problems to be sorted out. We don’t have to wait long, because there are still a few low-hanging fruits that we haven’t plowed yet. “
Williams was only thinking short-term
In addition to his commitment to expanding the budget cap, which allows disadvantaged teams to close gaps in their infrastructure, Vowles has above all established a new mindset at Williams.
“When I came here, I asked about the status of next year’s car. And the answer was that there was no stand yet,” explains Vowles. “‘We need to change that immediately,’ was my answer. ‘We need to focus on next year, then the year after that and then 2026’.”
“If you only focus on the here and now, you can’t see the wood for the trees. Then the team as a whole doesn’t develop. “
New team spirit thanks to a new structure
That’s why Vowles changed the working structures and brought the right people together: “You don’t finish seventh in the championship if you don’t have intelligent people in the team. But these people didn’t work together before, they were isolated in small areas.”
“It was initially about putting the intelligent people into a working group and giving this group responsibility for the specific area of vehicle performance,” explains Vowles. “There’s not the aerodynamics area and the vehicle behavior area, it’s one group. “
“You develop your solutions together. And suddenly you notice how the dynamic within the team changes. People no longer point the finger at others, but look for joint solutions. “
Vowles wants to create a new attitude
“The next step is to set milestones. I don’t care what happens in the next race or the one after that. The important thing is how we develop next year, then the year after that and then towards 2026. With these milestones, you change your approach.”
“We had people who were only concerned with putting out fires within the team. So you first have to get used to laying down the fire hose and working on developing important structures instead. “
Vowles hopes that these changes will already lead to short-term improvements at Williams, and not just in pure performance areas: “There are some things that can easily be improved. Performance as such is one thing, but it’s also about the attitude, how I approach things, the body language or the direction of development.”
“We’re no longer in a position where we’re desperate for money, we’re now in a position where we can ask for more money. Hopefully this change in attitude will soon be tangible.”
Overall, Vowles is optimistic about the future: “I feel very comfortable with the direction we’re going in at the moment. The ship is slowly finding the right course. “
