James Vowles, a former Mercedes head of strategy, has been named the new team manager for Williams.
In the years from 2014 to 2021, when Mercedes dominated Formula 1, the 43-year-old was a key player at the team.
Vowles served as the motorsport strategy director for Mercedes and was one of a select group of important senior executives who managed the team for Toto Wolff.
Vowles said to joining a squad with such a long history as “an honor.”
Jost Capito, who had only been with the club for two years, was replaced by him when Williams fired him in December.
On February 20, Vowles will begin his new job. He stated: “I cannot wait to start with Williams Racing. I have a tremendous deal of respect for the squad and am eager to take on the challenge since they are an example of our sport.
“After more than 20 years of working in Brackley, Mercedes has been incredibly supportive of my path, and we are parting on good terms.
“Williams Racing has put its faith and trust in me; in turn, I will do the same. Williams has a lot of potential, and our journey together will begin soon.
Vowles will be responsible for turning around the fortunes of a team that dominated Formula One for significant stretches in the 1980s and 1990s but has fallen to the bottom of the standings in recent years, coming in last for the previous three seasons.
James is one of the most well-respected drivers in Formula 1, according to Dorilton owner Matthew Savage, and he will provide performance.
“Over the past 15 years, he has played a significant role in some of the sport’s most astounding performances.
As we enter the next stage of the transformation of Williams Racing, “We feel that James’ appointment supports our commitment to ensure we have dynamic, experienced, and strong leadership.”
Mercedes supports Vowles’ decision, and Wolff noted that Vowles has been a highly important team member in his capacity as director of motorsport strategy, contributing significantly to our recent success.
Since I’ve known James since I first joined the team in 2013, I’ve seen how hardworking, competent, and talented he is. I’ve also enjoyed seeing James change and advance over the past ten years.
We now have a terrific group of bright strategists who will continue their excellent job in the years to ahead since he continues to improve the competence of our strategy team at Brackley after stepping back from the pit wall mid-season last year.
“While we are certainly sad to be saying farewell to such a skilled member of the team, I have no doubts at all that he has all the abilities necessary to become an excellent team principal in F1,” said the team’s manager.
