Williams hires James Vowles as F1 group principal

Struggling Method One group Williams continued its overhaul on Friday by asserting the hiring of former Mercedes technique director James Vowles as group principal.

Williams stated in an announcement that Vowles will start his new function on February 20 forward of testing in Bahrain from February 23-25. The Bahrain Grand Prix is the primary race of the Method One season on March 5.

Williams has undergone adjustments after ending final within the constructors’ standings final season. Former group principal Jost Capito and technical director François-Xavier Demaison each left in December.

The 43-year-old Vowles beforehand held key engineering roles and helped Mercedes safe the F1 constructors’ championship from 2014-21.

Former F1 powerhouse Williams gained the final of its 9 constructors’ titles in 1997.

“It’s an honour to join a team with such an incredibly rich heritage. The team is an icon of our sport, one I greatly respect, and I am very much looking forward to the challenge,” Vowles stated. “Mercedes have been hugely supportive on my journey, and we part on excellent terms.”

Mercedes group principal Toto Wolff thanked Vowles for his dedication to the group over a extremely profitable interval for the Silver Arrows.

“Having worked with him since I first joined the team in 2013, I know how diligent, capable and talented he is,” Wolff stated. “While we are naturally sad to be saying goodbye to such a capable member of the team, I have no doubts whatsoever that he has all the necessary skills to become a fantastic team principal in Formula One.”