“Means a lot to me” James Vowles gets emotional after his first day as Williams Racing’s new team principal

Williams Racing has welcomed their new team principal, James Vowles, the Briton who is perfectly suited for the job.


“Means a lot to me” James Vowles gets emotional after his first day as Williams Racing’s new team principal

James Vowles, Image via Williams Racing

James Vowles, Williams Racing’s new team principal, has a message for the fans after his first day at the office. The team shared a video of the Briton on their social media accounts. The ex-Mercedes strategist looked comfortable in his seat at the Grove, the home of the Williams Formula One team. 

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Vowles had previously spent 13 long years with Mercedes. In January, it was announced that he would leave the team and take over a new role at Williams. While the Mercedes team was heavy-hearted with his departure, they wished him well in his new endeavor. Jost Capito, the ex-team boss of Williams, stepped down from his position in December 2022. It was certainly not a quiet winter break but a “silly season” of Formula One team principals.

James Vowles seems to be liking his new role at Williams’ office. He shared an emotional message with the fans after his first day,“ You join me today on my first day in Williams Racing, and I really struggle to put into words just how much it means to me, how I excited I am, and just really all the emotions that are bubbling inside me at the moment.” He was overwhelmed with emotions and mustered the strength to express his thoughts.

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James Vowles will bring a truckload of experience from his years at Mercedes.

James Vowles, Image via Twitter

“In just a few days we’ll be in Bahrain testing in earnest and it’s for us an opportunity to really understand where the car is, and what we need to do from that baseline to move forwards. I had the pleasure of meeting already a huge number within this organisation and I frankly can’t wait to meet the remainder over the next few days.”

This will be Briton’s debut as a team principal, and he is already focused on taking the team forward. His experience working in Mercedes for all those years, with some great minds like Toto Wolff, Lewis Hamilton, James Allison, and others, will be tested now. After the announcement, the Mercedes community came together to appreciate Vowles, stating they could not think of anyone better for the job.

Williams has been restless over the winter break. The team appointed Vowles as their team principal and made changes in their driver line-up for the 2023 season. Logan Sargeant, the American Racing driver, will make his Formula One debut with Williams this season with Alex Albon as his teammate. The team hopes that due to the changes made, there will be a significant improvement in their performance. Once a historic team on the grid, Williams Racing finished last in the championships. James Vowles is their new beacon of light.

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