by VALERIO BARRETTA
Vowles, good first one
Since arriving at Williams, James Vowles he brought order, clear ideas and a winning mentality, trying to apply everything that his mentor Toto Wolff taught him in Mercedes. The Grove team, under the guidance of Vowles, abandoned last place in the Constructors' World Championship, even finishing seventh in the last championship, and aims to do even better in 2024.
The Austrian will certainly be proud of his dolphin, and Vowles himself never hesitates to point out how important Wolff was to him. In the latest interview, given to the podcast High Performancethe Grove team principal told a funny anecdote dating back to the moment he left Mercedes.
Vowles' words
“Toto was kind enough to give me all his time to give me as much experience as possible, he knew where he was training me. This does not mean that I had a job within Mercedes to become team principal, but he made his time, his knowledge and his experience available to me.“Vowles explained. “By the end of 2022 I had reached a point where I had to make a decision for my life, not for the life of Mercedes: I understood that I had a great opportunity for growth, and that instead I was slowing down at Mercedes. I had an honest conversation with Toto and he agreed to let me go. He gave me this advice: 'Don't be an asshole'. Which I'm trying to do“.
“Apart from Toto, I would say that Fred Vasseur and Otmar Szafnauer, before he left, guided me. I can easily call them, even if they are adversaries, not to ask for advice but to get advice“, concluded the Briton.
#Vowles #Wolff39s #advice #Don39t #asshole