Latest news with #WilliamsF1
The Guardian
3 days ago
- Automotive
- The Guardian
Williams' James Vowles ‘backing failure' in bid to guide team to F1 summit
Finding themselves fighting off Ferrari and mauling the midfield, these are heady times for a resurgent Williams. The team principal James Vowles has engineered an extraordinary comeback but this year's progress is likely to be just the start for a team determined to return to the heights of Formula One, which they once dominated. That Williams' form has changed drastically could not have been clearer than at the Miami GP. Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz were in a fight with the Ferraris of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, the Scuderia finding themselves at one point trying to catch Albon, who took fifth place and at the same time fending off a charging Sainz. That scenario was unthinkable in recent years for a team that have been in the bottom two in the championship in five of the past seven seasons. Heading into this weekend's Spanish GP they are now fifth, well behind the big four but with more than double the points of Haas, their nearest competitors in the midfield. In the grand scheme of the title fight this might be considered small beer but in F1 terms it is an extraordinary feat, especially given Vowles has only been in charge since January 2023, when he inherited a team that were flailing as well as lacking infrastructure and organisation. Vowles, who has an engineer's bent for breaking down questions to ensure they have been comprehensively examined, plays down his role in the turnaround but it is impossible to ignore that he has been at the helm and had the force of will to see it through. Fighting for titles is now the very real expectation. He has led an investment in people, as well as facilities and structures and in changing the approach within the team. 'We have a really open, honest culture. There is no bullshit. I believe in failure and I believe in backing failure at this point in time,' he says. 'When you fail, you learn more than anything else you've done prior to that point, because it hurts. As long as you take the learning from that and give it to everyone else, it's the strongest thing you can do.' There is precedent to this for Vowles, who began his F1 career at British American Racing in 2001. He recalls there were 255 personnel at the time and within months there was a cull of 56 of them, all fired in one fell swoop. 'I was in there watching a team fall apart because of a fear of failure, not growing as a result of it,' he says. 'I've made it my ethos that is not how I ever want a team to be.' What followed was a remarkable career as chief strategist at Brawn GP, including Jenson Button's title in 2009 and then with Mercedes and their unprecedented success between 2014 and 2021. Experience he brought with him when he took on his first gig as team principal at Williams. There has been no magic bullet, however, rather a series of measures all interlinked. The team, formed by Frank Williams in 1977 and who went on to take nine constructors' and seven drivers' titles, were sold by the family to the private investment company Dorilton Capital in 2020, which has since backed it financially. They are now operating very much closer to the capacity required to be competitive. The personnel count has risen from 700 to 1100 and Vowles has made them an attractive prospect to entice the best. They are spending at the limit of the budget cap, have two world-class drivers and, as Vowles notes, an agility in the decision-making process that many rivals will envy. Putting it all together has been crucial. 'The biggest change we've really made is actually just getting the team to work together in harmony, point the right way and talk to each other,' he says. 'The right people in the right place working together with the right culture wrapping around them.' He has been explicit in targeting 2026 as the year he expected the Williams comeback to begin and it appears he has brought everyone with him. 'I like JV because he has a plan and he will commit 100% to it. He trusts his feeling, his plan, his project, and I back him,' noted Sainz from the sharp end. Inside Williams the sentiment is the same. The temptation at this stage would be to hurl everything at the car to hang on to fifth place but this is of no interest to Vowles, who has long-since shifted the team's entire focus to the car for 2026. 'The gun is already fired,' he says with finality. This season then, for all that it is already a standout in Williams' recent history, is far from where Vowles wants and now expects the team to be. 'I'm here to win,' he says. 'Celebrating the fifths and the sixths along the way means we won't get towards winning as quickly as we would otherwise. Which means I'm not satisfied and the ambition does not end with finishing fifth this season.'
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Williams' James Vowles ‘backing failure' in bid to guide team to F1 summit
Finding themselves fighting off Ferrari and mauling the midfield, these are heady times for a resurgent Williams. The team principal James Vowles has engineered an extraordinary comeback but this year's progress is likely to be just the start for a team determined to return to the heights of Formula One, which they once dominated. That Williams' form has changed drastically could not have been clearer than at the Miami GP. Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz were in a fight with the Ferraris of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, the Scuderia finding themselves at one point trying to catch Albon, who took fifth place and at the same time fending off a charging Sainz. Advertisement Related: Oscar Piastri wins F1 Miami Grand Prix to stretch lead in title race That scenario was unthinkable in recent years for a team that have been in the bottom two in the championship in five of the past seven seasons. Heading into this weekend's Spanish GP they are now fifth, well behind the big four but with more than double the points of Haas, their nearest competitors in the midfield. In the grand scheme of the title fight this might be considered small beer but in F1 terms it is an extraordinary feat, especially given Vowles has only been in charge since January 2023, when he inherited a team that were flailing as well as lacking infrastructure and organisation. Vowles, who has an engineer's bent for breaking down questions to ensure they have been comprehensively examined, plays down his role in the turnaround but it is impossible to ignore that he has been at the helm and had the force of will to see it through. Fighting for titles is now the very real expectation. Advertisement He has led an investment in people, as well as facilities and structures and in changing the approach within the team. 'We have a really open, honest culture. There is no bullshit. I believe in failure and I believe in backing failure at this point in time,' he says. 'When you fail, you learn more than anything else you've done prior to that point, because it hurts. As long as you take the learning from that and give it to everyone else, it's the strongest thing you can do.' There is precedent to this for Vowles, who began his F1 career at British American Racing in 2001. He recalls there were 255 personnel at the time and within months there was a cull of 56 of them, all fired in one fell swoop. 'I was in there watching a team fall apart because of a fear of failure, not growing as a result of it,' he says. 'I've made it my ethos that is not how I ever want a team to be.' What followed was a remarkable career as chief strategist at Brawn GP, including Jenson Button's title in 2009 and then with Mercedes and their unprecedented success between 2014 and 2021. Experience he brought with him when he took on his first gig as team principal at Williams. There has been no magic bullet, however, rather a series of measures all interlinked. The team, formed by Frank Williams in 1977 and who went on to take nine constructors' and seven drivers' titles, were sold by the family to the private investment company Dorilton Capital in 2020, which has since backed it financially. Advertisement They are now operating very much closer to the capacity required to be competitive. The personnel count has risen from 700 to 1100 and Vowles has made them an attractive prospect to entice the best. They are spending at the limit of the budget cap, have two world-class drivers and, as Vowles notes, an agility in the decision-making process that many rivals will envy. Putting it all together has been crucial. 'The biggest change we've really made is actually just getting the team to work together in harmony, point the right way and talk to each other,' he says. 'The right people in the right place working together with the right culture wrapping around them.' He has been explicit in targeting 2026 as the year he expected the Williams comeback to begin and it appears he has brought everyone with him. Related: Lewis Hamilton labels talk of strained relationship with Ferrari engineer as 'BS' Advertisement 'I like JV because he has a plan and he will commit 100% to it. He trusts his feeling, his plan, his project, and I back him,' noted Sainz from the sharp end. Inside Williams the sentiment is the same. The temptation at this stage would be to hurl everything at the car to hang on to fifth place but this is of no interest to Vowles, who has long-since shifted the team's entire focus to the car for 2026. 'The gun is already fired,' he says with finality. This season then, for all that it is already a standout in Williams' recent history, is far from where Vowles wants and now expects the team to be. 'I'm here to win,' he says. 'Celebrating the fifths and the sixths along the way means we won't get towards winning as quickly as we would otherwise. Which means I'm not satisfied and the ambition does not end with finishing fifth this season.'
TimesLIVE
08-05-2025
- Automotive
- TimesLIVE
Carlos Sainz Sr considering run for FIA president
Two-time FIA world champion Carlos Sainz Sr may be throwing his hat into the ring to become the motorsport governing body's president, according to a report by Current president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has served since 2021, but his four years have been beset by controversy. He has not officially declared himself available for re-election, but is widely known to be mounting a campaign. The selection will occur in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, on December 12. Both Sainz Sr and Ben Sulayem are 63 years old and former competitors. Sainz Sr, who has won four Dakar Rally events, competed in the event in January. The elder Sainz is the father of Williams F1 driver Carlos Sainz. 'This possibility has been in my mind for some time now, not very deeply, but now I think it could be the right time in my career for me to take the step,' said Sainz Sr, as reported by the BBC. 'I'm confident I can do a good job and put together an excellent team to give back to the sport part of what it has given me. 'I have accumulated a lot of experience in this sport throughout the years and I'm certain I can bring new and interesting things, to strengthen and develop the sport and the automobile world.' There have been no formal declarations by Sainz Sr, Ben Sulayem or any others at this time, though others are expected to run. Under Ben Sulayem's leadership, FIA has experienced a bevy of contentious situations. Robert Reid, the deputy president for sport, resigned in April, claiming 'a fundamental breakdown in governance standards'. That led former FIA CEO Natalie Robyn, who was forced out in the summer of 2024, to break her silence and concur with Reid's sentiments. Drivers have also been critical of Ben Sulayem's ban on swearing. Moreover, Susie Wolff, the CEO of F1 Academy for aspiring female drivers, filed a legal complaint against the FIA after a conflict of interest inquiry was lodged against her and husband Toto Wolff, president of Mercedes Motosport, but FIA closed it two days later.
The Drive
07-05-2025
- Automotive
- The Drive
Carlos Sainz Sr. Is 'Confident' He Could Do a 'Good Job' as FIA President
The FIA will hold its next presidential election on Dec. 12, with current president Mohammed Ben Sulayem confirming that he'll seek a second term. Susie Wolff had emerged as a possible candidate some time ago, but rumors dissipated due to a potential conflict of interest given her husband's role at Mercedes, leaving Ben Sulayem unchallenged. That changed Wednesday, however, when rally superstar Carlos Sainz Sr. confirmed that he's 'currently in the process of figuring out how much support I will get from the community of motorsport.' In an interview with , the WRC and Dakar champion confirmed that 'now is the right time' to seek the presidency, while clearing up that the link to his son, current Williams Formula 1 driver Carlos Sainz, would not pose a conflict of interest. 'There are plenty of reasons, but I have been driving for more than 40 years and this sport has given me everything,' he told Motorsport . 'This possibility [of being president] has been in my mind for some time now, not very deeply, but now I think it could be the right time in my career for me to take the step. I'm confident I can do a good job and put together an excellent team to give back to the sport part of what it has given me.' Getty GIUSEPPE CACACE 'I have accumulated a lot of experience in this sport throughout the years and I'm certain I can bring new and interesting things, to strengthen and develop the sport and the automobile world,' added Sainz Sr. 'I have my track record and people know me well enough to understand that [Sainz Jr.] will not be an issue. Obviously, I will have to step down regarding my role with Carlos and his career, but this is not an issue at all. He's not a child anymore, he has been in F1 for a decade now, and we both know that if I go ahead with this project, our relationship will change, of course.' Ben Sulayem's reign has been tainted with controversy, starting with the controversial call of 2021's Abu Dhabi F1 Grand Prix, followed by rumors of influencing the outcome of the Saudi Arabian GP to please major sponsor Aramco, and lately with the strict implementation of Appendix B, which heavily fines any driver who uses a curse word during a race weekend. Getty Mark Thompson More recently, however, the FIA has come under fire for its closed-door meetings that were once open to various other positions within the organization in order to keep some sense of checks and balances. Ben Sulayem has personally fired several employees who are believed to have spoken against him or his measures, causing U.K. motorsports chief David Richards to threaten legal action for the 'erosion of accountability and good governance within the FIA.' The 63-year-old rally star would not comment on Ben Sulayem's controversies or the current state of affairs between him and F1 (and WRC) drivers, only adding that if he does run for president, 'it will not be to fight anyone, it will be out of passion and love for motorsport.' Got a tip? Email us at tips@ Jerry Perez is the Deputy Editor at The Drive, overseeing the site's daily and long-term content initiatives in addition to writing his own features and reviews. He's been covering the automotive industry professionally since 2015 and joined The Drive in January 2018.
The Independent
07-05-2025
- Automotive
- The Independent
Carlos Sainz's dad ‘considering FIA presidential bid' against Mohammed Ben Sulayem
Carlos Sainz Snr. is reportedly considering a bid to run for FIA president against incumbent Mohammed Ben Sulayem. Sainz Snr, the father of Williams F1 driver Carlos Sainz and a former world rally champion and Dakar Rally winner, has been approached by a number of key figures within world motorsport about running, says a report in Autosport. The 63-year-old is now seriously considering a bid, the report adds, with Sainz Snr. looking to 'present a positive and constructive program.' The FIA presidential election will be held at world motorsport governing body's next general assembly in Uzbekistan on 12 December. Sainz Snr. is a regular presence in the Formula One paddock to support his son, who made the move from Ferrari to Williams in the off-season. Ben Sulayem's tenure, since taking over from Jean Todt in December 2021, has been overshadowed by controversies and departures from the executive team at the FIA. Robert Reid, deputy president for sport, left last month, citing a 'fundamental breakdown in governance standards.' Ben Sulayem also dispensed with F1 race director Niels Wittich last year. The FIA's new swearing rules, enforced at the start of the year, have also caused controversy with a number of drivers from various FIA competitions unhappy with the new regulations, which could see a driver banned from a race. Last week, however, Ben Sulayem did say he was considering 'improvements' to the rules. Ben Sulayem, a 63-year-old former rally driver from the United Arab Emirates, has also defended historical sexist remarks from a personal blog, and was under investigation for potentially meddling with a race result, though he was later cleared. Ben Sulayem was also embroiled in a disagreement with Lewis Hamilton in 2022 over wearing jewellery. Susie Wolff, managing director of F1 Academy and a former test driver for Williams, was rumoured to be considering a bid to be FIA president, but those rumours have cooled in recent months.
