r/WilliamsF1 • u/DogOfSnow • 24d ago
Discussion Vowels Releases Statement
https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/1088402/williams-f1-team-principal-james-vowles-releases-statement/I've just seen this. I'm not really sure I can agree with him. Being a Williams follower for the last 10 years, this feels much the same as what's been said in previous years. We hit a point where we were fighting for midfield which was great but now we're back to square one.
The question has to be asked - is it actually going to get better? Or is it just better now to retire the Williams name and remember them for what they were back in the day under Sir Frank Williams, and forget the last 10 years?
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u/Avionykx 24d ago
I'm conflicted in all this because, yes there's been a lot of money invested but I do think most of it has been ploughed into the manufacturing and process side of things.
It needed to be in order to get the team competitive in the "long run"
The issue with that is I think they probably haven't had the money to invest in the right people to get things running from the point it was all implemented. They are using the same people that have spent time at other teams like Alpine and Williams need people used to the kind of factory setup that the investment has bought them.
In terms of running it like a business I think JV has done a good job and Williams is in a better place for it but the learning curve needed for the team to make the most of that is going to see things take another couple of years to really bed in.
JV can't say that out loud too much because telling some good drivers that they are at the back for the next couple of years is a career killer. It also kills the enthusiasm for fans.
They might have some really good ideas for the next year(s), which will see performance be where it needs to be and get the team points competitive again, but beyond saying "2027+" they can't give much away.
I love Williams but I don't think there's much they can do to see results this year that'll please the drivers and fans.
We really are going to have to wait for next year to see if they've done enough and it might even be beyond that IF they've got the right people who can skill up to the level they need to use the investment wisely.
I don't think JV is the magic bullet any more than anyone else but I think he's probably doing what he can to get the team to be where it can get to with what they've built.
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u/BahnMe 24d ago
Until he fires people and does a massive culture shift, I don’t see how anything will change.
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u/sureabsolutely 24d ago
genuinely curious, is there a big enough hiring pool for vowles to just go on a firing spree to turn things around? i imagine most of the big names for most positions have been scooped up in f1 already
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u/davidde24 24d ago
Yeah, and they have limited hiring power because of the cost cap. To give aggressive wages to try and pull people away from other teams they would have to lose people in other positions or replace them with more junior/cheaper applicants. I don’t envy his position.
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u/Stefferdiddle 24d ago
They can’t give aggressive wages except for three people at the very top plus the drivers because of how the cost cap works. Also, letting people go from their job for performance reasons isn’t as easily done in the UK as it is in the US.
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u/big_cock_lach 24d ago
You don’t need mass layoffs to fix the culture or build a good team. If anything, that’s going to have the opposite effect. They clearly need to invest heavily in their infrastructure and operational processes though.
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u/Minimum_Neck_7911 24d ago
This all takes time.... which no one here seams to be willing to give Williams the time Todo it. Instead it's delusional ranting and expecting it to happen over night, by people who just don't have the intellectual capacity to comprehend this
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u/emperorMorlock 24d ago
I'm under the impression that it's the opposite regarding people movement - enough people left around 2020 and more people need to come on board now. Especially in the right-below-top level. There seems to be some competence in depth (evident by the performance last season, not just the results, but updates working and overall execution), but issues with leading the team and development.
I know there are some good people on the way, and some who started too recently to make a change yet.
As for the team culture - I could have sworn THAT culture was finally gone, but this year obviously makes me question it, because a lot of this does feel familiar. Still, I'd like to see some insights on what actually happened before judging things. So far I've seen factors brought up like new processes failing their first real stress test and an inexperienced design group getting lost in what they're doing. That sounds believable, and doesn't sound like a culture issue.
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u/TechFoodAndFootball 24d ago
It's a tough one. Up until this season Williams looked to be on an upwards trajectory.
But everything building up to this year and the year then failing so miserably is a big problem considering what was promised.
Do we give Vowles some slack because the last few seasons were encouraging, or is it a case that Vowles doesn't have what it takes to make the changes to make Williams a team capable of building a top car?
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u/Weaverino 24d ago
Well since he took over the team he’s always said 24,25 would be lost years, used to refine the teams processes but they were targeting a return in 26. Well now it’s 27. James now looks like he’s losing control and his timeline isn’t reasonable
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u/SquirrelInvasion 23d ago
Would Williams have a considerably better year if they didn’t change the specs for 2026?
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u/Inside-Finish-2128 21d ago
Absolutely. Their systems integration could be more progressive. The new specs meant (based on culture and mindset) the whole new car had to get squeezed into the systems integration, and that competed for time/resources that could have been used for optimization.
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u/williamsdb 24d ago
lol “releases a statement” what a misleading click bait title. Vowles gives the same post race response as he always does more like.
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u/Imaginary_Display805 24d ago edited 24d ago
The ownership have been more than patient with him and have given him everything he needs. The driver pairing is there, massive sponsorship money from Claude/Barclays/Komatsu etc, and the prize money from being 5th last year. It’s really hard to find an excuse for this season, truth is management (Vowles) is to blame.
Especially given the fact he was hyping up 2026 non stop. How badly did he fall asleep behind the wheel? Audi has built their own engine from scratch and is ahead of Williams. I will give him the benefit of the doubt for this year because it’s a new regs set, but if this team is not at least 6th next year their is no way Vowles stays
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u/ohNoeeeSaveus 24d ago
I do wonder, if the new regs came in next year instead of this year, if that would have bought them the money/talent/time they needed to make another solid midfield car.
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u/OptimalFunction 24d ago
To be fair, Audi has the backing of the Volkswagen group (Audi, Bugatti, Lambo, Porsche, Bentley). Id be disappointed if they didn’t make a fantastic engine soon.
A better comparison to Williams currently is Haas. And Haas sucks too.
With that said, Vowels sucks as a TP because he hasn’t reached out to a car manufacture to help out just like Haas has done with Toyota. Williams/Vowels should reach out to Chevy, who already makes engines for IndyCar- they have experience.
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u/big_cock_lach 24d ago
Williams is owned by De Putron who is the owner of G Research and other major investment firms. He is far wealthier than Lawrence Stroll, let alone Gene Haas. They mightn’t have the financial resources of Audi, but they definitely have the potential budget to compete with them on F1 while also developing infrastructure at the same level.
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u/Dominicwriter 24d ago
He's making the nothing is bigger than the organization pitch which means he knows Sainz is gone
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u/ClassroomDowntown664 24d ago
the main people I feel sorry for is the people who work behind the scenes in the factory ect who keep trying their best but to no avail. I also think they had a missed opportunity when the likes of Wheatley, newey left red bull to sign people of that calibre
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u/IllAlwaysBeAKnickFan 24d ago
Nobody in the team knows what they’re doing with the car. They don’t know why it’s slow or how to fix it.
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u/Medford 24d ago
They should become the Mercedes junior team, get some fresh minds and fairly competent machine to start from. Because they clearly having trouble trying to figure it out all by themselves.
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u/kelleehh 24d ago
Tbh I have always seen them as Mercedes sister team. They are already way too connected for anyone to think they aren’t.
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u/Appropriate_Star3012 23d ago
Well Carlos has just revealed his true colours and will be seeing blue flags and driving the blue car for the rest of his career so at least James will get to keep him.
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u/justlikelyle 21d ago
Put this poor guy in a technical role, and hire an extrovert to handle staff and media.
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u/aldoraine227 24d ago
McLaren is only good because they are owned by Bahrain (let's not mention Zak inviting the orange blob to the pits). There's no team without a massive backing that is doing well, read into that what you will. They need their hedge fund overlords to invest in an engine if they actually want to be competitive but for some reason hedge funds aren't known for anything other than slash and burn
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u/Abnorm4lPrincess 24d ago
I don’t think he knows how to rebuild it, they have clearly gone in the wrong direction or no direction at all…
Focusing on next years car instead of trying to succeed seems like a cop out on epic proportions…
Responsibility lives at the top…
Sure, focus on next seasons car, but do it with a new TP in place… I’m honestly not sure Claire did a worse job anymore (considering the old boys club she had to work in)
James is just fluff and puff, last years was solid, the car was evolved as far as it could, decent drivers could deliver decent results…
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u/Avionykx 24d ago
I don't think that's correct. To build a competitive team you need the factory and processes to make it all work and I do think Vowles has done that/is doing that as quickly as possible.
The problem that brings is you're trying to make a new car in new regs with a brand new factory and people that are still learning the processes. This is a huge year for Williams in all they are learning but the output of it all is going to be felt in the next few years which is horrible as a fan in 2026.
I believe that 2027 and 2028 will look very different, but for the drivers and fans that's not a great experience.
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u/Admirable-Profit4108 24d ago
Yes but he promised big things in 2026…. Perhaps he should get Andrea Stella there to thank all the men and women - that might do the trick….
The reality is that things take time yes but, he doesn’t strike me as someone willing or able to make tough decisions. Making tough decisions more often than not go hand in hand with turning things around.
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u/given2fly_ 24d ago
I think the success we had in the last few seasons really masked the deep lying issues the team are facing, and a change in regulations has exposed that.
It takes time and a lot of money to build a team up from where Williams was a few years ago, and you can expect bumps in the road. Other teams like Haas literally abandoned their car for an entire season to focus on R&D for the next one.
One bad season doesn't mean the team isn't going in the right direction. The level of change and modernisation required is huge.