Featured Sponsor
| Store | Link | Sample Product |
|---|---|---|
| UK Artful Impressions | Premiere Etsy Store |
 |
One point isn’t much to get excited about for Williams, especially since that meager score leaves them entrenched at the bottom of the constructors’ championship after five rounds.
But look beyond the rankings and you’ll find a team that has made great strides since last year and is not only showing signs of progress race after race, but also building a crucial foundation that it hopes can deliver success in the years to come. come.
READ MORE: One point ‘not a fair reflection’ of Williams’ potential in 2023, says team boss Vowles
Losing your rhythm is quick and painful. A team can go from competing for podiums to competing in the space of a winter, as Williams knows. Getting back up can take years, if not decades. Ferrari’s rivals are a good example of this.
The patience of your board of directors, then, is crucial if a team is to have any chance of finding its way back to the front. An Aston Martin-like leap from seventh to second in the space of a few months is a rare occurrence, a once-in-a-generation episode.
For Williams, after years of underinvestment, the project requires a bottom-up rebuild. That’s why instead of talking about success this year, next or even the year after, Williams team principal James Vowles, with just five races in his new job, and owner investment firm Dorilton Capital they are thinking long term.
“Williams has been torn apart by different mechanisms, one because it was a place where you could find amazing people for the best teams to take,” Vowles says when we chat in the paddock. “We have to regrow what we had. The foundations are not proper stable foundations. We have to dig deeper, put in place the right systems to build.”
He adds: “We won’t sacrifice anything in the long run to make a small profit this year. Everything we’re doing is still going to bring goodness to this year, but making sure that there are proper systems in place next year, in ’25 and ’26 as well. [is the priority].
READ MORE: Playing the long game: How new boss James Vowles is plotting Williams’ return to form
“This business is unique in that every two weeks you know if you are good enough or not. Most companies don’t have that. That’s a blessing, but also a curse, because every two weeks, you have to take people’s attention away from the next race and onto ’24. [and beyond].”
At the top of Vowles’ ‘to do’ list is finding a technical track. Finding the right person to fit Williams’ way of working and share the same strategic views as Vowles is not easy. That’s why Vowles keeps his options open and takes his time.
“An overwhelming desire to keep going”: James Vowles on his new job at Williams
He is also open to having two leadership roles: a technical director, who has a more strategic vision, and a technical director, who runs the day-to-day technical office, or just one. Making that call will depend on the available talent pool.
It is in this area that there are not a huge number of options. Yes, there are talented people in Formula 1, but convincing them to take on a project like Williams and getting them to commit to the long term is no easy task. However, F1 experience is a must, says Vowles, adding that it is realistic to hope to find a solution before the end of the year.
READ MORE: Appointing manager is No. 1 priority, says new Williams Vowles boss
“There are some great people around the paddock, but it’s finding the right fit for the organization that we have, the right fit for someone who wants to be here growing not just for one or two years, but for several years. Someone who has experience and knowledge, but the right cultural aspects that match mine, match where I want the organization to be.
“It’s going well, I’m just not rushing the process. I hope that within six months we will have a firm pair of feet on the ground. It seems like a long time, but you have to do it right. It’s not about this year, it’s not even about next year, it’s about the long term.”
As for the level of experience the new role requires, Vowles adds: “We had Fred [Brousseau] join us [from the aerospace industry]he is our director of operations. I think that kind of fit is very good, it brings experience from different industries that is relevant to what we’re doing, but a different view of how we do things.
“But in a CTO role or maybe a CTO role, you may need one or both, you very much need someone who knows how to do it within our business.”
ANALYSIS: Why did Williams name Mercedes’ James Vowles as its new team principal?
In the booth, Vowles is pleased with his lineup that blends experience with youth. In Alex Albon, he has a driver in his fourth full F1 season who has come to life since he joined Williams after Red Bull dropped him.
The Williams family feel is an environment in which Albon excels, and having been toughened by those harsh experiences with a senior team, the Thai driver has found a balance that makes him a very powerful driver. His qualifying pace has been solid this year, and includes a Q3 appearance, and barring a small mistake that led to a big crash in Australia, he was on track for a good score there.
Australian Grand Prix 2023: Big crash for Albon brings out red flags at Albert Park
“He’s incredibly likeable, he’s a good leader, he’s been through some tough times, which made him someone who’s very good at what he does today,” says Vowles. “You often find that if you have it too easy, you’re not being pushed to your limits. [but] it really is
“He is very confident. She knows what she can achieve and what she can’t. You want to deliver every day of the week. It was heartbreaking what happened to him in Australia, for all of us, but really with him, he’s passionate. When he knows we could have achieved greatness, he carries it on his shoulders, maybe too much, but that’s a sign of a great leader.
“The birthday. We saw him in Bahrain, for 55 laps, he stopped cars behind him, no stress, he just dealt with it. [and went on to score a point]. I actually sat back and relaxed a bit because I could see that I had it under control.”
Vowles also rates rookie Logan Sargeant highly. He and the team know that he is fast. They also know that the start of the season features a flurry of race tracks he is unfamiliar with, which has made it difficult for the American to find a rhythm.
But once you get back on the tracks you know and can find consistency, the team knows the results will come and that momentum will help you get to grips with new places faster each time you visit.
“[He has] maturity beyond her years, a fire in her belly,” says Vowles. “Australia, a track he hasn’t been to before, apart from seeing it on a simulator, and it was good. She was working to be better, but it’s hard to do that.
“In Arabia, he had a time that would have made him pass for [in qualifying to Q2] except for one small mistake. Bahrain, saw performances, including form tests early on. He’s been a cool cucumber from the start.”
The points will come if Sargeant keeps making strides and Albon has clean weekends, and that will be a welcome boost for Williams. However, it’s his personal improvement, and that of the team, that really matters to Vowles, because that’s what will give them the opportunity to not only move up the field, but to make them a permanent fixture there.
—————————————————-
We’re happy to share our sponsored content because that’s how we monetize our site!
| Article | Link |
|---|---|
| UK Artful Impressions | Premiere Etsy Store |
| Sponsored Content | View |
| ASUS Vivobook Review | View |
| Ted Lasso’s MacBook Guide | View |
| Alpilean Energy Boost | View |
| Japanese Weight Loss | View |
| MacBook Air i3 vs i5 | View |
| Liberty Shield | View |