Williams boss James Vowles claims the team’s ‘infrastructure was 20 years behind’ when he joined from Mercedes

James Vowles has brilliantly led the charge of the Williams F1 team.

Williams boss James Vowles claims the team’s ‘infrastructure was 20 years behind’ when he joined from Mercedes

James Vowles (Via: Imago)

James Vowles, the former strategy director at Mercedes, has recently taken the time to dwell on the Williams F1 team. Vowles joined the Grove-based outfit as team principal on 13th January 2023 and has since played a pivotal role.

The sport is currently at a halt because of the ongoing winter break and James Vowles has claimed that Williams’s infrastructure was 20 years behind when he joined them.

YouTube video

While talking about the same to Auto Motor und Sport, he recently said, (H/T: Formulapassion )

FS Video
When I arrived I found good and intelligent people, but they formed many small groups and not a collective of 800 units working together. These groups were going in different directions. And the infrastructure was 20 years behind, and was barely enough to put two cars on the grid.

Looking at the reaction of Vowles, it is quite clear that upon his arrival at Williams, he really had to put in the hard yards to change the trajectory of the team. Moreover, he has made it known that the team’s infrastructure was also twenty years behind when he joined.

James Vowles Williams’ had a strong 2023 F1 season

While Vowles has admitted that the British outfit was several years behind when he arrived, he has since, done a terrific job on the team. To put things into perspective, Williams managed to end last year’s campaign in a respectable seventh place. This may not look impressive enough, but one has to look at the limitations of the team to fully understand the picture.

Alex Albon (Credits: Motorsport)
Alex Albon (Credits: Motorsport)

Moreover, Alex Albon had a sensational campaign last year and he also played a crucial part in the team’s progress with his on-track exploits. Williams ended the 2023 season by scoring 28 points. AlphaTauri finished close behind in eighth with 25.

The 2024 F1 season is just around the corner, and considering the positive step that James Vowles and Co. were able to make, it is going to be fascinating to see how the upcoming campaign will pan out for them.

Many will hope for them to make even more progress in comparison to last year. Albon will once again be the driver Williams would depend upon, no one knows how Logan Sargeant will perform, especially considering his mediocre 2023 campaign.

In case you missed it: