Toto Wolf confident that Mercedes will be unaffected by James Vowles’s departure
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Toto Wolff and James Vowles
In recent weeks, F1 fans and critics got to witness the most spectacular silly season possible and it wasn’t the drivers who fuelled it. Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff and Christian Horner were unaffected by these changes. However they will affect them in one way or the other. For instance, James Vowles who is was the Head of Motorsport Strategy has left the team in order to join Williams.
The Ex-Mercedes chief will be taking up the role of Team Principal at the Grove Based outfit in what was a substantial promotion from his previous job. James Vowles had been working with Mercedes for about 20 years. During his tenure with the team, he worked trackside from 2010 till last season where his contribution to the team’s success was extraordinary.
With James Vowles being one of the core members of the Mercedes AMG F1 team, it surely looks to be a big issue for the Brackley based squad. However, Team Principal Toto Wolff is unfazed by his exit. He stated that the team has proper plans in places when situations like these arise. Due to the said plans and structures in place, it didn’t seem like a big loss for Mercedes. Here is what Wolff had to say.
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Toto Wolff is comfortable with James Vowles leaving the team
During an interview with The Race, here is what Toto Wolff had to say about the situation. We had that many times that people have stepped up and they leave an open position behind them, or they join another team. And it’s proof that we are developing and working with capable people. So, there is no gap left behind. For many years, we’ve discussed succession planning in this area,” he said.
“We have an extremely talented team of strategists. They have flown the aeroplane now alone in the last six months. I feel very comfortable with the structure going forward. And not that suddenly a big weakness has been created,” the Mercedes team principal concluded. It is clear that the team’s planning is rock solid and an eventual successor could be announced soon.
With James Vowles joining Williams on 20th Feb, fans and critics are curious as to how he will perform and lead the team. Meanwhile, his relationship with Toto Wolff won’t be over as the pair will still be working together. This is mainly due to Mercedes being Williams’s engine supplier. With the 2023 F1 season a few weeks away, the action will already be beginning in the month of February with the car launches and pre-season testing.
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Varad Joshi
(940 Articles Published)