James Vowles claims Williams has shifted their focus to 2024, says they won’t spend any more resources on the development of FW-45

Williams finished last in the 2022 constructors' standings with just eight points.

James Vowles claims Williams has shifted their focus to 2024, says they won’t spend any more resources on the development of FW-45

James Vowles (Credits: PlanetF1)

Williams has shown a huge improvement in 2023 over the past few seasons. They occupy the seventh place in the constructors’ standings, with Alex Albon in 13th place in the WDC standings. Their car, the FW-45, has shown an impressive pace on straights this season. But despite this optimistic development, Williams chief James Vowles has claimed that they are solely focusing on the team’s long-term goals rather than the short-term ones.

Vowles believes that sacrificing long-term plans for the present is the wrong approach for a team. He said that it is very easy to get caught up in the moment, but the team will gain a solid jump only if they work for the long term. He said that Williams, until now, has worked only on attaining short-term targets, but that will change under his leadership.

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“If you’re sacrificing even a little sliver of what’s in the future, you’re doing the wrong thing. What this team’s been very good at for many years is focusing on the now… If you do a very, very good job in the long-term, you make a jump. That jump becomes established for a longer period of time,” Vowles told Motorsport.com.

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Despite this bold statement, Vowles has also clarified that they will not give up on 2023 entirely. He clarified that if given a choice between putting a ‘millisecond more’ on the current car or investing in the future, he would always choose the latter option.

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James Vowles has created a new and ‘refreshed’ atmosphere at Williams

James Vowles
James Vowles (Credits: F1)

James Vowles joined Williams from Mercedes in March this year after the team finished last in the constructors’ standings in 2022. Williams’ Head of Vehicle Performance, Dave Robson, recently revealed how Vowles has managed to turn around the entire atmosphere in Wantage in such a short time.

Robson said that Vowles brought a whole new approach to the team, spreading across the factory. This, along with Alex Albon’s improvement, has been very positive for the Williams team. Robson claimed that Williams, under James Vowles, now had a clear plan for their future.

 “James has brought a wealth of experience and knowledge.  I think that’s probably gone hand in hand with Alex [Albon] maturing and becoming quite calm and consistent, level-headed and James brings something similar,” said Robson.

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