Following the conclusion of the 2022 season, there was somewhat of a ‘silly season’ involving the team principals in the paddock.
Mattia Binotto, Andreas Seidl and Fred Vasseur were all on the move however one departure that came as a real shock was Jost Capito’s from Williams.
It was eventually revealed by the German that the plan was always for him to step away from the team, having only come in to begin the team’s journey back into the midfield following the Dorilton Capital takeover.
It took a number of weeks for Williams to announced Capito’s replacement and it was eventually confirmed by the team that they had managed to pry Mercedes strategic director James Vowles away from the Silver Arrows.
READ: Pierre Gasly denies Alpine concern
With just under a week to go under the F1 circus travels to Bahrain for pre-season testing, Vowles has now linked up with his new team for the first time.
“I really struggle to put into words just how much it means to me, how excited I am, and all the emotions that are bubbling inside me at the moment,” Vowles said in a recent social media video.
“I had the pleasure of meeting already a huge number within this organisation. I frankly can’t wait to meet the remainder over the next few days.
“In just a few days, we’ll be testing in Bahrain in earnest. It’s for us, an opportunity to really understand where the car is and what we need to do from that baseline moving forwards.”
Under Vowles’ leadership, Williams will be looking to get themselves off of the bottom of the championship standings, having struggled to compete in 2022.
READ: Alpine make ‘quite selfish’ admission as they launch female project
Teams like Haas massively improved under the major regulation changes last year, leaving Williams to fight it out at the back of the grid, mostly on their own.
The future does look exciting for the team however, as Vowles will not be the only new face around the factory.
American rookie Logan Sargeant has signed for the team to replace the struggling Nicholas Latifi, giving Williams an exciting partnership of Sargeant and the ever-consistent Alex Albon this season.