Former Mercedes strategy head James Vowles believes the W14 has the potential to win races
James Vowles believes that Mercedes will be stronger in tracks like Silverstone and Barcelona.
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W14. Image via TheJudge13.
James Vowles, the former chief strategist at Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One team, is the current team principal for Williams Racing. Vowles still believes in his former team. While the Mercedes team, Toto Wolff, Lewis Hamilton, and George Russell do not see the light at the end of the tunnel yet, Vowles is confident the team will turn things around in the upcoming races.
Mercedes has had a difficult start to the 2023 season, similar to last year. From being the third-fastest team, they became the fourth-fastest. They fell behind Aston Martin. Mercedes wants to change its concept and make amends in the areas where they lack performance. James Vowles had a few words to say about his former team in the press conference at the Saudi Arabian GP.
Vowles had a surprising opinion. The Wiliams Racing boss does not think Red Bull will dominate this year. “ Do I think Red Bull will dominate all the way through the season? No, I doubt it. I think you’ll see Ferrari will be a lot closer here, and there will be tracks like Silverstone, and Barcelona, where Mercedes will be mighty as a result of what I know of their package. However, on balance across the season, do I think that Red Bull is the fastest? Yes.”
James Vowles believes Red Bull’s cost cap penalty will affect their performance
Vowles believes there is a long way to go, and Mercedes will bring upgrades and close the gap with Red Bull and other front runners. While Red Bull is in a league of its own, James Vowles thinks the situation might change anytime. The Williams team principal reckons Red Bull’s cost cap penalty should not be ignored. They have a ten percent reduction in the wind tunnel time.
“They still have a wind tunnel deficit. It’s not as big as I think it necessarily should be to balance things out, but it’s still there. And it still will mean across the season that you’ll see other people moving towards them”, added Vowles. He does not want Red Bull dominance and states it would be boring. The Briton feels that there will be ups and downs throughout the year.
James Vowles has full faith in Mercedes and Ferrari. He reckons they work hard and would not give up. The British engineer applauds Red Bull for their incredible achievement but does not think they can stay on top for a long time. James Vowles had stated the opposite of his friend, Toto Wolff, he believed Mercedes and Ferrari would come back to fight for wins.
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Sugantha Meena
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