When Jost Capito announced his shock departure from Williams at the end of last season, the team were left scrambling to find a new team principal.
Williams eventually managed to pry James Vowles away from Mercedes, after over a decade serving as the team’s strategic director.
The 43-year-old has been the mastermind behind many strategic masterclasses executed by the likes of Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg and Valtteri Bottas for Mercedes, helping the team to a decade of dominance in Formula 1.
Mercedes driver George Russell has now claimed that Vowles deserves the chance to step up to a team principal role, having achieved everything there is to achieve with Mercedes.
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“I think he thoroughly deserves the opportunity, and he’s an incredibly hard worker,” said Russell.
“For us, personally, on a strategic level, when it came to race strategies, James had already sort of handed over his duties to others within the team.
“He was just overseeing, but actually through all of last year, the decisions we being made by others, so in that regards, James has left us in very competent hands.”
Having spent his first season at Mercedes working with Vowles, Russell has claimed that there is no one out there that would do a better job at Williams that the Brit.
“I’m sure he’s going to have a few surprises,” he said when asked what to expect from Vowles.
“Naturally, when you’ve spent so long at such a team with so many championships under its belt.
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“But to be honest, I can’t think of anybody better Williams could have hired for the job they need to undertake.”
The futures looks bright for Williams in 2023, as the team aim to return to the midfields after spending a few seasons fighting at the back of the grid.
Vowles will be looking to lead the exciting driver pairing of Alex Albon and American rookie Logan Sargeant to a number of point scoring finishes this season, taking the legendary Williams team away from the foot of the championship.