James Vowles, the British Engineer, recently moved to the Williams F1 team as the Team’s new principal. But why he left Mercedes, with which he has been a part for so long? Why this sudden change of heart? Is something wrong between him and Toto Wolff?
Vowles has played a crucial role in the success of Mercedes for more than a decade. The credit for the Mercedes team winning the constructor’s title from 2014 to 2021 in a row goes to James Vowles. The 43-year-old joined the Team in 2010 and had played a vital role behind the eight constructor’s titles. In these glory days of Mercedes in the Hamilton-Wolff era, Vowles has also been an integral part.
How The Future Look Like For Mercedes Without Vowles?
With the Head of Strategy gone, there is no immediate plan for replacement in the Silver Arrows. But the big boss, Toto Wolff, believes that W14 cars are giving the whole Team a lot of hope. Toto mentioned, “It looked the same (like the W13 cars) when I saw it the last time, but after the changes made and with constant development, things are looking a little different.”
Mercedes is working day in and day out to make things comfortable for Russell and Hamilton and would definitely not want to repeat the same mistake. With the W13 cars, the Silver Arrows faced one of their worst years in F1 Motorsport history. In the turbo-hybrid era the worst season for sure. Somehow managed to win one solitary race in Sao Paolo, Brazil. Drivers getting injured, facing back pain and neck pain due to the porpoising issue.
The Team is looking forward to making amends with the W14 cars in the 2023 season. But even before the start of the season, the Head of Strategy moves on to another team. This move will add to the list of speculations on how the Team will perform in the upcoming season.
Future Of James Vowles In F1 Williams
James Vowles will start acting as the Team Principal in Williams camp at the beginning of the 2023 season. On the other hand, William’s camp would hope for a turn of events in the upcoming season with the Ex-Mercedes Head of Strategy joining their group as Team Principal. The Williams team has come a long way since their glory days; they got placed in the last position in the 2022 season, winning a mere eight points. The Team’s two drivers, Alex Albon and Nicholas Latifi failed big in the previous season.
Mathew Savage, Dorilton Capital Chairman, expressed hope after the experienced engineer of the Silver Arrows joined the Team. He mentioned, “We look forward to the next phase of the transformation of Williams Racing with a strong, energetic and now with Vowles’s addition, an experienced group.” William’s Team will have a new group change as Nicholas Latifi will be replaced by Logan Sargeant.
Moreover, when asked how his Mercedes teammates reacted to his decision to leave the Team, Vowles said, “Wolff’s reaction was the best.”Vowles mentioned that Wolff had been incredibly good to accommodate this change. About Hamilton, he said that the champ was nothing but happy for him. Hamilton expressed his feelings on James Vowles, saying, “this is amazing news for James.”