Following the 2022 season finale in Abu Dhabi, Williams made the shock announcement that their team principal Jost Capito would be leaving the team.
It has since come to light that the plan was always for Capito to leave, with the German himself admitting that he never had any intention of staying with the team for the long run.
With their future in mind, Williams spent the winter break hunting for someone to spearhead the team’s long-term project, and eventually settled on Mercedes’ strategic director James Vowles.
The 43-year-old is set to take the reins at Williams before pre-season testing starting in Bahrain and the team’s sporting chief Sven Smeets believes that Vowles can be the final piece of their puzzle.
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“It’s very important for the team to have somebody that now finishes off that journey and brings Williams forward again,” he said.
“We all know that was not going to be a one-year journey. I think James is very eager to start and he will be very committed to bringing Williams forward.
“So, for the long term, that feels very good.”
The Williams project has got off to a slow start since the team were taken over by Dorilton Capital in 2020, with the new regulation changes that came into effect last season proving to be a stumbling block for the team.
With the talented Alex Albon paired with the exciting American rookie Logan Sargeant this season, Vowles will be hoping that he can lead the team back into the midfield, having struggled to score points in many races last season.
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Despite the clear relationship between Mercedes and Williams, Vowles has denied rumours that he will run the team as a ‘mini-Mercedes’, instead insisting that every team has to follow their own pathway to success.
The season is already underway for Williams, who have now officially launched their car with an unveiling earlier this week.
Should the team’s 2023 challenger be more competitive that last year’s, Williams certainly have the talent in and out of the car to be successful this season.