Unsettled Williams lacks 'vision of excellence' says new F1 boss Vowles

Well, there was certainly plenty of the latter when Capito and technical director FX Demaison departed in December. And against that backdrop hopes were not exactly high heading into 2023 as the technical team worked to improve last year’s car.

While that department remains without a leader, the team has a new one in James Vowles and in just two weeks he has been understanding the magnitude of the project he has taken on.

“Because of testing and because of racing the amount of days physically in the factory just haven’t been at the level required,” Vowles said ahead of the opening round. “I’ve had a chance now to walk round the facility and meet – albeit briefly, for a few seconds – individuals within the team, so I have a very, very macro-awareness of what’s there and what’s not there. But the detail behind what needs to be done across the next six months isn’t formed in my mind.”

Asked if he at least now knew the scale of what he is dealing with, Vowles replied: “That I do, I think it’s fair to say.

“About what I expected, with maybe some things slightly worse!”

Vowles is nothing if not realistic. He sees Williams as the most iconic name in the sport behind Ferrari, but that’s the biggest attraction of the team at present and he’s not letting romanticism get in the way of why Williams has been struggling.

Even heading into the first race, there were some growing slightly frustrated at the lack of a spark that had come from Capito’s departure. But Vowles is quick to point out that there’s not a resistance to change within Williams, and certainly no lack of ambition or ability, but simply a handicap that is the byproduct of years of struggle.

“I think the belief on that has changed as a result of everyone seeing the results they have achieved over the last few years. I’m not sure it’s so much in the way you’ve described any more (resistance), as much it is just people that haven’t had necessarily their eyes opened to what excellence is.

“It has changed, and it’s very difficult when you remain within this tight-knit world of where you are, you sometimes don’t have the vision of what it looks like, and I think that’s more what we’re having here.”

Of course, Vowles had a long look at what excellence is through the dominant years at Mercedes, and also in the rivals he faced. Convincing others to join him at Williams to try and create a similar culture that the team can buy into is something that he knows will be a major challenge.

“Attrition full stop in Formula 1 is a problem. It was a problem as I was leaving Mercedes and it’s a problem here in Williams. One type of attrition is staff going to other teams.

“What’s on offer at Mercedes or Red Bull versus Williams is success”

“Pay cheques aren’t the largest driver any more because the cost cap has driven that down. Certainly you can do that but if you highlight key individuals in your organisation, look after them and pay them correctly, salary isn’t the only driver.

“Clearly what’s on offer at Mercedes or Red Bull versus Williams is success and that at the moment is not something I can offer, and that will create drive to go in that direction.

“What I have to do is create an environment where our individuals, our staff and employees believe in the same vision I believe in and that results in them staying as a part of the organisation because they want to be part of something successful that they are in from the ground up.”

If he needed any evidence to prove his point that Williams’ current situation “is not for a lack of good people, it’s simply a lack of stability”, Vowles can point to the winter gains across the grid. Comparing qualifying sessions in Bahrain in 2022 and 2023, only Aston Martin’s incredible 2.4-second step betters the 1.2-second gain made by Williams.

No other team found a full second, and the likes of Alfa Romeo and AlphaTauri only moved forward by a tenth or two. It’s progress, and that’s exactly what Vowles wants to see from Williams as its overarching target before he starts envisioning a very different future for the team.

“The dream is an interesting one. To break into the top three is incredibly difficult. They have resources beyond your dreams. They have experience, they have the best people on the grid, and as you become better and better at what you do, you also become more cost cap efficient.

“I don’t mean through all the techniques, but just simply your composite production, for example, it’s so nailed down to a tee, you know what you’re doing, your reliability is nailed down. So all those additional costs have been worn by teams that perhaps are fourth backwards.

“I think certainly a realistic step for this organisation is first and foremost, make sure that every year, we are just edging forward and not standing still. That has to be dream number one. Dream number two is that we have to set a sensible period of time in the future, and it’s years, where we start to actually break into sixth, fifth, fourth.

“From then onwards, the sport really will probably have to have some level of political change to allow teams to break into the top three. That’s the future.”

Based on Alex Albon’s top ten finish in Bahrain, dream number one is already a reality. But Vowles knows Williams will need far more time and investment to keep that momentum going.