Why new Williams boss James Vowles is perfect match for troubled F1 team

Williams is clearly lacking momentum, with François-Xavier Demaison also departing at the same time as Capito leaving the team without a technical director. The team principal role has been filled, on the face of it by someone without experience of the role.

But Vowles has been closer than you’d think to Toto Wolff as a part of Mercedes’ senior management, and there will be so much of the team’s dominant spell for him to tap into.

“In the last two years he has stepped up in the team from chief strategist to director of strategy, and has been adding a massive contribution not only to what’s happening during the race but also in terms of the global strategy of the team and Mercedes Motorsport in general,” Wolff says.

“Beyond the strategy, James has been looking after driver contracts, reserve driver contracts, the sim driving, and many other political topics together with me. Last year we decided that he would hand over the reins to a new team of strategists. Since July he has been moving off the pitwall and not actively interfering any more in the decision-making during a race weekend but been with me and Bradley [Lord, communications director] overlooking the situation like I have done for many years now.

“So that next step is something James deserves, because within our organisation for him to move up I would have needed to move aside and I still feel there is something left in me and that I can contribute.”

It’s not just the Mercedes years that need recognising, though. Williams and Mercedes couldn’t be much further apart at the moment, as he heads to the team at the bottom of the constructors’ standings from one that has won eight of the past nine titles. But Vowles has been at Brackley for much longer than Mercedes has had its star above the door.

In more than two decades with the team, Vowles has been there when it was BAR, then Honda, then Brawn. He’s seen what it takes to fritter away big budgets and even bigger expectations, but also succeed when there’s barely enough money to put fuel in the car.

That breadth of knowledge can be applied to Williams right now, a team that is in some ways close to Mercedes in 2010 as it has the financial backing it needs from Dorilton Capital but is emerging from a time when it didn’t.

The difference between those two scenarios is Mercedes had one hell of a car to develop from in the form of the Brawn, compared to a Williams that hasn’t been particularly competitive in many years.

“What will definitely be wrong is when you’re hurting and when you’ve been punished and when you’ve been pushed down as an organisation because you’re suffering, that doesn’t get any better year-on-year unless you get a change – a change to the culture, a change to the methods and systems,” Vowles says.

“I suspect a lot of it was if you go back a few years we didn’t have the strength that is Dorilton. Dorilton really want and will invest the correct amount to make this a performant team and I don’t think that was fair to say that was the case just a few years ago. The impact will take a while to properly kick in.

“The second is I’m one of a change, but clearly one individual won’t make it. What’s required is a restrengthening of the technical team, but also allowing those internally who are incredibly good to shine and prosper. I suspect that the environment around them isn’t one that was conducive to that for a period of time.

“I’m fortunate enough to have known failure on levels that many of you unfortunately have publicly seen. Even prior to Mercedes, there were times that we are languishing in a very poor position and didn’t score a point for 12 races.

“The real gain that you get out of this is you have to instil a culture into this that allows everyone to realise that you have to be empowered, you have to grow, you have move forward as a unit and together, and it has to be one collaborative motion.

“I strongly suspect that we’re just in a situation where that collaboration isn’t quite at the level it could be or should be just simply because it’s been a few years of pain that has cemented it.”

Very diplomatically put, from a man who admits he has had the idea of being a team principal in his head “for many years” and has yet to set foot in Grove ahead of his start date of February 20. But it shows Vowles knows exactly the challenge he’s taking on and where his immediate focus has to be.

“My level of motivation is just going to keep me going for years and years”

Williams is a team that needs pulling together first and foremost, to ensure it’s pulling in the same direction and following in the example set by its leadership. There’s no guarantee it all comes together for Vowles, but it won’t be for a lack of appreciation of key areas that the team needs to get right.

And even before beginning work, Vowles is already giving his future Williams colleagues a clear sign of the faith he has in them.

“I’m going into an arena that has people that are just as intelligent, just as motivated, just as committed and just as hungry for success. It’s a different starting point, but the end goal is going to hopefully no different.

“Is it difficult? I’m not seeing it that way. Perhaps I’m getting carried away with the excitement and the want and will to start this and really get into it but it’s not trepidation. I’m waking up every morning – I don’t mind saying it – at the moment at 5am and just scribbling down thoughts, notes, directions, and that’s a level of motivation that is just going to keep me going for years and years, I’m confident of it.

“The 5am is actually a pee break, but it sounded really good if I said I made notes at the same time…”

He’ll need that sense of humour, too, but this is a natural step for Vowles and his time at Brackley should afford him all the respect required in order for his leadership to be followed. If it doesn’t, then it won’t only be the team principal who needs addressing to make Williams a force again.