Ex-Mercedes man James Vowles dismisses notions of new team Williams becoming ‘mini-Mercedes’

James Vowles, who was recently announced as Williams' new team principal, insists that his and the team's long association with Mercedes won't have an effect on his decision-making.


Ex-Mercedes man James Vowles dismisses notions of new team Williams becoming ‘mini-Mercedes’

New Williams team principal (and ex-Mercedes chief strageist) James Vowles

‘Supplier’ teams can often exert significant (at least apparent) influence on their customer teams. An example of this is Haas, who are also headquartered in Maranello. They got Mick Schumacher in the seat for 2021-2022, who was back then a member of the Ferrari academy. Sauber put Charles Leclerc and then Antonio Giovinazzi on the team, both associated with Ferrari. You could also say that this helps the customer team get ‘access’ to a driver. This potential ‘significant influence’ was one of the fans’ concerns when James Vowles move to Williams as team principal was announced.

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Vowles previously worked for Mercedes as a ‘Chief Strategist’, a role in which he served for more than a decade. As you may know, Williams are a customer team of Mercedes – they utilize their engines. An example of Mercedes’ apparent influence on the team is George Russell, and more recently, Nyck de Vries (their former reserve driver), who stepped in for Alex Albon at last year’s Italian GP. He also drove for Aston Martin (also a Mercedes customer team) in FP1 on the same weekend.

But Vowles asserts that Mercedes will exist no influence on Williams’ management, and in particular, his decisions within the team. Speaking to media including RacingNews365.com, the Briton said: “Williams is an entirely independent organisation. Furthermore, my success is dependent on doing a good job there, and that has to be independent from Mercedes.”

Of course, just because the Williams management won’t be affected by Mercedes’ influence doesn’t mean there won’t be any collaboration at all. Mercedes will still continue as their engine suppliers, after all. While acknowledging this, Vowles insists that he will do ‘what is best for Williams’: “It doesn’t mean that [Williams and Mercedes] won’t have some form of collaboration, there was collaboration before I joined, but I have to do what is best for Williams.”

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Read More: Who is James Vowles? Know everything about Williams’ new team principal

James Vowles insists his loyalty lies with Williams

Williams team principal James Vowles
Williams team principal James Vowles

While he has a very long association with Mercedes, as does Williams (especially since 2014), James Vowles is insistent that his loyalty lies with Williams – and his full focus is on making the organization successful. Certainly not an easy ask, as they’ve finished dead last in all of their last five seasons except 2021. But he aims to ‘stand on his two legs’.

Vowles said: “The second you put a crisp [new] Williams shirt on, that’s where you are, that’s where your loyalty is, and that’s where my success – and the team’s success – will come from. So, there’s no ‘mini Mercedes’, no ‘B team’ or any of that notion, it’s about me standing on my own two legs and making a success of the organisation that I’m in.”

While the worst of Williams’ financial woes seem to be over, there are still many issues to resolve. Jost Capito, Vowles’ predecessor, had compared the job to ‘open heart surgery while running a marathon’. Perhaps one day, the team can return to their glory days in the 1990s, when they won five Constructors’ championships. It’s a long road back to the top.

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