Lewis Hamilton hails James Vowles for his impressive work at Williams 

James Vowles' firsthand experience with strategic planning allows him to establish a deeper roots with the drivers.

Lewis Hamilton hails James Vowles for his impressive work at Williams 

James Vowles and Lewis Hamilton (Via IMAGO)

Renowned for its rich history and commitment to the sport, Williams has enjoyed both triumphs and challenges over the years. But in the last couple of decades, the team saw a massive drop from the team that saw them becoming the backmarkers of F1. Now, under the leadership of new team principal, James Vowles, the team is having one of their best seasons in 2023 after a long time.

Following a challenging period that saw Williams finishing at the bottom of the standings for the fourth time in five years in 2022, the team’s owners, Dorilton Capital, made a strategic move. They signed James Vowles, the Mercedes Strategy Director at the time, to step in and take the reins from the departing Jost Capito. This decision marked a pivotal moment for Williams in the Formula 1 landscape.

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Williams holds the 7th position in the Constructors’ Championship, securing 21 points, with a keen eye on closing the gap to Alpine. In the Drivers’ Championship standings, Williams’ ace driver, Alex Albon, has displayed his skill and determination and clinched all 21 points.

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Ahead of the Italian GP press conference last week, Lewis Hamilton appraised Vowles’s efforts. He expressed his delight in witnessing the exceptional work of his former teammate in steering Williams back towards the path of their former glory.

“James is exceptional, and we had an amazing journey together…I’m excited to see the progress that they’re making there,, and I can’t wait to see Williams come further up. I’m so really happy for them and look forward to racing them soon,” he said, as reported by Motorsportsweek.

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Alex Albon claims James Vowles’ past experiences help him connect better with the drivers

Spa-Francorchamps
Spa-Francorchamps(via Williams Racing)

Before becoming the team boss at Williams, Vowles embarked on his Formula 1 journey with the Brackley-based team in 2001. He stayed with the team through its name changes and played a pivotal role in Mercedes’ historic success from 2014 to 2020.

During the press conference, Alex Albon made a noteworthy point by highlighting that Vowles’ firsthand experience with strategic planning allows him to establish deeper roots with the drivers. This connection has helped Williams address and resolve persistent car characteristic issues that have haunted the team for many years.

“Speaking to him, he obviously has a close connection with drivers. And he does do a bit of driving himself so he gets this: he understands the language that we talk,” the Thai-Brittish driver said.

Albon also emphasized their need to improve as they have done throughout the years to improve their overall performance: He said, “But we do have some characteristic problems in our car and hopefully we can get them out of the way. It shows at tracks like Zandvoort; when we don’t have so many limited corners, we can be right up there. So let’s see.”

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