There are no half measures with James Vowles – the Williams team principal has a clear vision for the team, even if it initially involves losses.
James Vowles is pursuing a long-term plan with Williams to bring the team back to the top of Formula 1. 2024 and 2025 are “only intermediate steps,” he recently explained at a panel discussion hosted by Autosport Business.
“These are years in which we will deliver minor performance improvements. We will continue to develop. But our focus is squarely on the future, and that is 2026, when the technical regulations will change completely and there will be no adoption of parts from previous years,” said the Briton.
This focus on 2026 means that a large part of the team is already working on the car for that year. For the past six months, the best aerodynamics engineers have been concentrating exclusively on the 2026 model, Vowles reveals.
Asked whether Dorilton Capital, the investment firm that bought Williams in 2020, and the team’s numerous partners were comfortable with the potential loss of revenue from performance in 2024 and 2025, the Williams team principal replied: “Without a doubt.”
Vowles wants to “do it right from the ground up”
“In my initial discussions with Williams, I outlined a path and the costs involved, and they said to me: ‘Don’t do things by halves. Let’s do it right, because we only have one chance to get it right.’”
“It takes the time it takes to get it right,” Vowles emphasizes. ‘If you cut corners, you might get a little bit of progress, but eventually it will backfire. You have to do it right from the ground up.’
Part of that, he says, is creating a culture that embraces innovation and continuous change: ‘You need a culture of constant change.’
“What you did yesterday is no longer good enough. It’s not about what technological infrastructure you have. It’s about the people and the culture. That’s exactly what we’re banking on,” says Vowles. “We’re developing it, staying on the move and making sure we drive innovation.”
“This could be a small development or, rather, a technological change that influences either the sport or the world. That’s what innovation means to me.” However, this requires a culture in which mistakes are accepted.
“I fail almost every day because we are constantly pushing the limits of what is possible. However, as long as there is a culture in which no one is blamed, but everyone learns from their mistakes, a real dynamic can develop,” says Vowles.
Williams: Years of underfunding, but potential
The task of returning Williams to its former strength is no small feat – and the Brit is well aware of that. After all, Williams is still the second most successful team in Formula One, just behind Ferrari.
When the call from Williams came at the end of 2022, Vowles didn’t hesitate: “An organization that may not have been nurtured at the right level for 15 years but has so much potential – that was an easy decision, and I say that as someone who comes from the most successful team, Mercedes.”
“If you have an organization that hasn’t been properly funded for years, you usually have a whole range of infrastructure, staffing and cultural problems that go with it. That’s why the only solution is to break everything apart first,” he affirms.
It’s not about working with short-term solutions or “band-aids,” but rather about fundamentally strengthening the team. This also means “hiring and training the best and brightest minds.” Williams recently welcomed 110 new recruits – a clear sign of a comprehensive rebuilding effort.
“The organization is a thousand people. I think that shows what we are doing for the future. This is a ten-year program before it really builds strength. But that’s where we’re putting our investment,” Vowles sums up.