From the 2023 F1 season, someone else will be zoomed in on when it comes to Williams. Jost Capito calls it quits after one year. There was a rumor that Toto Wolff’s wife, Susie, would be taking over. Nothing could be further from the truth: James Vowles makes the switch from Mercedes to the British team. But who is he actually?
The new Williams team principal began his F1 career in 2002, working as a mechanic on the cars at BAR Honda, which later became the factory Honda team. In 2009, Ross Brawn took over this team and turned it into Brawn GP. Vowles was promoted to race quarterback from Jenson Button. He was not wrong, because in the first (and as it turned out only) year of Brawn GP Button won the world championship.
‘Valtteri, it’s James’
Brawn then sold the team to Mercedes and again Vowles stayed on board. Within the new team, he went one step further and was awarded the title of chief strategist. In this position he had to cool the tension between Hamilton and Rosberg. He didn’t necessarily succeed in that.
After Rosberg’s departure, Valtteri Bottas joined the team in 2016. On the meme-hungry internet, Vowles gained eternal fame with the words ‘Valtteri, it’s James’usually followed by a request for the Finn to step aside for Hamilton again.
Now Vowles is going to work elsewhere for the first time in 21 years. He will become only the third team principal of the Williams F1 team, after Jost Capito and Frank Williams (when daughter Claire Williams took over the business, father Frank remained team principal on paper). Hopefully Vowles can revive the old heyday with the beleaguered team.
James, it’s Valtteri. Congrats on joining the worst team in F1, i’m sorry. https://t.co/Kp4oGVAM3Y pic.twitter.com/tFiq7L56oq
— k (@krakencs) January 13, 2023
#James #Vowles #team #principal #Williams