James Vowles reveals Lewis Hamilton ‘laughed’ at him and Toto Wolff over their racing skills

James Vowles had friendly relations with Lewis Hamilton and Toto Wolff during his time at Mercedes.

James Vowles reveals Lewis Hamilton ‘laughed’ at him and Toto Wolff over their racing skills

James Vowles, Toto Wolff and Lewis Hamilton (via IMAGO)

James Vowles is often known for his amiable nature in the paddock. The 45-year-old took up the role of team principal at Williams but before that, he was a part of Mercedes and helped them clinch eight consecutive championships. Moreover, he recently revealed an instance where he and Toto Wolff were racing each other while Lewis Hamilton was having the time of his life witnessing their racing skills.

More often than not, in the F1 world, team principals have a racing background. While most leave their racing passion behind, some still retain it and race their rivals for the adrenaline rush. Subsequently, James Vowles has been on a journey to revive his racing career, when the 45-year-old was talking about his racing skills, he revealed that he is pretty mediocre in comparison to the greatest drivers that the sport has ever been graced with.

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Moreover, when he was asked about whether a championship should be held for team bosses, the Williams team principal revealed an incident with seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton.

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I am all for it. I think it would be fascinating. As you can probably imagine, Toto and myself have had a few opportunities on the track together, and it’s been so much fun. On one occasion in Austin, Lewis [Hamilton] was there as well, and I can’t release the footage to you, but all you hear is him laughing inside the car.
James Vowles said in an interview with F1

Vowles further went on to add the following.

I think with the accolades that Toto has behind him, that Christian has behind him, that Zak has behind him… You’d have great fun. I think I’d have a good run of it. What’s going to happen, though, is it’s going to be carnage. You realise that none of those cars will come back with four wheels… If you think it’s competitive racing [in F1], watch this!
James Vowles said

The Brit revealed that he had a friendly race in Austin with Toto Wolff. However, he was ashamed to reveal any details about the race as Hamilton was witnessing the senior engineer and his boss’ racing skills and having a great time. However, he admitted that a championship among the team bosses would be a great idea and fans would have great fun.

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Toto Wolff, Kimi Antonelli and Jacques Villeneuve (via IMAGO)

James Vowles gave an insight into how it feels while racing

Ever since becoming the chief engineer at Mercedes, Vowles had enough resources to continue his passion. Subsequently, he began moving up the motorsport ladder and got a taste of driving GT3 machinery.

Williams team principal James Vowles
James Vowles (Via: IMAGO)

The Englishman revealed his experience of driving a race car.

Here’s what it is..., you feel alone in the car, really alone. Your visual of the world is what’s happening 200 metres in front of you and 200 metres behind you, if you’re lucky. So, you’re reliant on a voice, an engineer, to give you insight into the world at all times. I’m not of the skill and calibre anywhere near any of these individuals in the paddock, so I doubted myself. When you’re doing this, you would do.
James Vowles said in an interview with F1

Vowles explained that racing is focusing on what’s coming ahead and maximizing your performance to beat your opponents. While the racing engineer helps the drivers, it ultimately depends on the driver’s skill and caliber, which makes him doubt himself.

Despite such a balanced approach, Vowles was lapping at a similar pace to his opponents. He participated in two events and finished 17th in the standings with two points accredited to his name. While Vowles has taken the time to dwell on his racing adventures, he is currently focused on his leadership role at Williams as he has signed one of the most impressive driver parings for the 2025 season.

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