Over 10 years in Brackley
Even before that James Vowles became Team Principal of Williams last season, the British engineer contributed to the repeat successes of the Mercedes from 2014 to 2021, joining Brackley in the role of chief strategist in 2010. Throughout this period of time, therefore, Vowles worked alongside two riders capable of winning seven world titles each in their career: Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton.
The Hamilton-Schumacher comparison
While Hamilton achieved six of these at Mercedes, the former Ferrari driver made the decision to return to F1 in 2010, but only achieved one podium before finally retiring in 2012. Interviewed in the podcast High PerformanceVowles then had the opportunity to describe the qualities of the two pilots, having no doubt in indicating the one who was the best in his opinion: “I struggle to find another team sport like this – he has declared – where you start by beating your teammate. If you don't you're in trouble, but that's just a challenge. The key is how everyone contributes to success. Lewis was, and still is, the most naturally talented driver I have ever worked with, including Schumacher. When he joined the team his mentality was brilliant. It was: 'I want to win every race at all costs', but if you talk to him today, he accepts that even second and third places can win championships. Working with the team on days when you can't win the race will give you much more satisfaction than pushing everyone to win just one race.”.
The Hamilton-Rosberg rivalry
Vowles, in addition, also reviewed the three seasons from 2014 to 2016when Hamilton and Nico Rosberg gave rise to a rivalry that finally exploded in 2016 in the Spanish GP, with a contact between the two Mercedes during the first lap: “Everyone will remember 2016 in Barcelona – he added – still imprinted in my mind todaybecause these are two athletes who felt frustrated.”
“Both of them, in 2014, knew that he would be one of the two to win the world championship. They knew before we shot opening weekend. I prepared a document that clearly stated 'How we will work together and how we will fight each other'which it was called at the time 'Rules of Engagement', but which was then changed to something less military. The whole first page was about being a sportsman. To explain it, you can win a world championship, but if you did something unsportsmanlike you will regret it for the rest of your life. She will be stained, she will not be pure. We want to win by doing things better than everyone else. Michael was an incredible man, but he is still scarred from 1997. I didn't want to be remembered that way, I wanted to be remembered for being dominant. With these rules, the fastest driver out of 20 races will win and we will give you all the same opportunities. And they accepted.”
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