773 replies to this topic

[mmmcurry]

New year, new TP:

 

https://www.williams...-team-principal

 

"Prior to that, he fulfilled key engineering and strategy roles at Mercedes and former F1 teams including Honda Racing, Brawn GP and British American Racing"

 

Err, so he stayed at the same team through various guises. Never heard of him before, but why should I have?

[mmmcurry]

I also saw that Williams have a livery release, not a new car one so pretty much ignored it. Got me wondering though, does this mean new sponsors, or doing an HRT and showing potential sponsors all the space they could use?

[ConsiderAndGo]

I also saw that Williams have a livery release, not a new car one so pretty much ignored it. Got me wondering though, does this mean new sponsors, or doing an HRT and showing potential sponsors all the space they could use?

Weren’t Williams plastered in sponsors by season end?

[Beri]

Now that is quite a bombshell and a good appointment in my book.

[Burtros]

New year, new TP:

https://www.williams...-team-principal

"Prior to that, he fulfilled key engineering and strategy roles at Mercedes and former F1 teams including Honda Racing, Brawn GP and British American Racing"

Err, so he stayed at the same team through various guises. Never heard of him before, but why should I have?

Vowles was the guy that takes the blame when Mercedes don’t win and none of the credit if they do.

[Francesc]

I would have never guessed Vowles to be the new TP of Williams. Let's hope it works out better than the last top recruitment the team had coming from Mercedes.

[ConsiderAndGo]

Now that is quite a bombshell and a good appointment in my book.

The amount of times we’ve heard him apologising to Hamilton on the radio because of a strategic blunder must be a little worrying for Williams fans.

Edited by ConsiderAndGo, 13 January 2023 - 12:12.

[mmmcurry]

Weren’t Williams plastered in sponsors by season end?

 

Some were added, but they still had Williams Racing on the rear wing and Dorilton Capital on the side pods.

[mmmcurry]

Vowles was the guy that takes the blame when Mercedes don’t win and none of the credit if they do.

 

Sounds like management witch hunts at a previous employer.

[Beri]

Weren’t Williams plastered in sponsors by season end?

If they were, which I can't remember, then they are not now. Decal Spotters have pointed out which sponsors have left from the website:

[Jambo]

Williams, it's James.

 

(This works on multiple levels as I am also called James.)

[ConsiderAndGo]

If they were, which I can't remember, then they are not now. Decal Spotters have pointed out which sponsors have left from the website:

Oh blimey. Fair enough. That’s a lot of dollar they need to make up.

[jradicals]

They'll lose Sofina and Lavazza with Latifi gone, so they will need to be replaced. And upon a little bit of digging, it appears a lot of the smaller logos on the car are simply other businesses under the Dorilton investment umbrella, so not really external sponsors pumping cash in.

As for Vowles, that is definitely a surprise!

[TomNokoe]

Brave appointment. Mercedes shaped Vowles into a risk-averse data-driven robot. He'll have to find some aggression and risk to drag Williams up the grid.

[IrvTheSwerve]

New year, new TP:

https://www.williams...-team-principal

"Prior to that, he fulfilled key engineering and strategy roles at Mercedes and former F1 teams including Honda Racing, Brawn GP and British American Racing"

Err, so he stayed at the same team through various guises. Never heard of him before, but why should I have?

You’ve never heard of him before?!

[RedRabbit]

New year, new TP:

https://www.williams...-team-principal

"Prior to that, he fulfilled key engineering and strategy roles at Mercedes and former F1 teams including Honda Racing, Brawn GP and British American Racing"

Err, so he stayed at the same team through various guises. Never heard of him before, but why should I have?

You really don't know who James Vowles is? His name and voice are heard at every GP for years at Mercedes.

I think it's a good appointment from Williams, considering there can't be many others beating the door down for a job at Williams.

It's more surprising that an engineer would go from a Top 3 team to an absolute backmarker. Unless those Porsche rumours are still floating in the background.

[owenmahamilton]

You really don't know who James Vowles is? His name and voice are heard at every GP for years at Mercedes.

I think it's a good appointment from Williams, considering there can't be many others beating the door down for a job at Williams.

It's more surprising that an engineer would go from a Top 3 team to an absolute backmarker. Unless those Porsche rumours are still floating in the background.

 

I think the Porsche rumours died the minute Jost Capito left. James Vowles seems like quite a good appointment, I'm not sure he's TP material but at least it's better than nothing.

[P123]

The amount of times we’ve heard him apologising to Hamilton on the radio because of a strategic blunder must be a little worrying for Williams fans.

 

He does get thing right too.  Favourite for fan angst, whether screwing strategy, or calling off Bottas, on one occasion.    But he has a lot of F1 experience with the day to day operations, and I'm sure I've read also does a bit of racing himself outside of his F1 roll.

 

Anyway, I thought it would be more worrying for Ferrari fans to have Vasseur, given Alfa's strategy was often horrendous last year.  Is he the right guy to fix Ferrari's strategy dept?

[Marklar]

My impression of Vowles is that he is weak, I have no doubt he is a competent man, Mercedes' strategies were far better than the impression it gave for many, but one reason why they have a worse reputation than they deserve is because of how he represented himself: I'm not convinced that this is team principal material. Especially with how crazy risk-averse he appeared to be. But on the other side the way Mercedes interpreted the chief strategist role put him more in the spotlight, which kinda already gained him some experience for the leader role. It's a brave signing and probably a low risk signing too, what really is there to lose?

Edited by Marklar, 13 January 2023 - 13:02.

[KWSN - DSM]

If they were, which I can't remember, then they are not now. Decal Spotters have pointed out which sponsors have left from the website:
 

 

B&R have a horrible logo.

[JRodrigues]

You really don't know who James Vowles is? His name and voice are heard at every GP for years at Mercedes.

 

"Valtteri, this is James..."

[ConsiderAndGo]

"Valtteri, this is James..."

Shivers! 

[Dolph]

"Valtteri, this is James..."

 

Edited by Dolph, 13 January 2023 - 13:54.

[mmmcurry]

You really don't know who James Vowles is? His name and voice are heard at every GP for years at Mercedes.

I think it's a good appointment from Williams, considering there can't be many others beating the door down for a job at Williams.

It's more surprising that an engineer would go from a Top 3 team to an absolute backmarker. Unless those Porsche rumours are still floating in the background.

 

Yeah, I know who you mean now.

[KWSN - DSM]

 

 

My name is Vowles, James Vowles...

[cbbcisace]

Serious move from Williams. Now to announce a technical director and I presume a CEO to replace Capito

[w1Y]

I think the attacks on Vowles is always a bit over the top although I'm sure I have occasionally fueled them

I think he is a good hire for Williams.

[IrvTheSwerve]

Mercedes strategies are generally very good. Just as good as most of the best teams. The fact that Mercedes have dominated at the front have magnified the tiny amount of times that they've messed up.

 

Plus after the whole 'Valtteri it's James' thing, Vowles became a bit of a meme and F1/Liberty tried to air his team radios at every possible opportunity.

[CSF]

If they were, which I can't remember, then they are not now. Decal Spotters have pointed out which sponsors have left from the website:

 

 

Isn't that the Latifi sponsors through his fathers business interests? 

[WilliamsF1Fan]

Isn't that the Latifi sponsors through his fathers business interests? 

 

Sofina and Lavazza were brands brought in due to Latifi.  

 

Honibe, Versa and MEI are all Dorilton Capital Portfolio brands.

[Rjpscr]

Now got to wait to see who the new TD will be. Obviously the new signings wont make really much of a impact this year, but could really look forward more to 2024! 

[Francesc]

Now got to wait to see who the new TD will be. Obviously the new signings wont make really much of a impact this year, but could really look forward more to 2024! 

 

As a Williams fan I'm a bit tired of having to wait for next year. I hope they already make an impact in the second part of this season.

[Sterzo]

The amount of times we’ve heard him apologising to Hamilton on the radio because of a strategic blunder must be a little worrying for Williams fans.

How many?

[Rjpscr]

As a Williams fan I'm a bit tired of having to wait for next year. I hope they already make an impact in the second part of this season.

That is true, but I wont be surprised if they do the stop development to work on next years car routine. We just got to wait and see how close the FW45 is to the midfield by that point. 

[Nathan]

Nice sign by Williams, curious how the team culture reacts.

 

Weren’t Williams plastered in sponsors by season end?

 

If you count graphic art, otherwise, no.

[Gary Davies]

Brave appointment. Mercedes shaped Vowles into a risk-averse data-driven robot. 

Interesting view.  Have you some insights into the Mercedes team (beyond what we can all see on the telly) to support that assertion?

[GiorgioF1]

A strange pick. Has James even managed something close to an F1 team before?

 

Hope their new car will be a midfielder because this will make his new job way easier.

[Sterzo]

A strange pick. Has James even managed something close to an F1 team before?

Yes. For many years he's been one level below team principal, and has overseen strategy through a period when half the forum whined endlessly about the dominance of his team. We can be sure that as one of the senior management team at Brawn then Mercedes he has been involved in discussions and decisions far beyond strategy, and that many people in F1 will have worked with him and be aware of his abilities.

 

Is Team Principal a bigger job than his previous one? Of course it is. What's novel about that?
 

[PayasYouRace]

B&R have a horrible logo.

 

A familiar font though:

 

 

[Anja]

Looks like Williams could sport the famous Gulf colours this year. Depending on how big is the deal.

https://racingnews36...onic-f1-sponsor

[PayasYouRace]

Imagine being that team that carries both Martini and Gulf liveries in the space of a decade.

[GiorgioF1]

Yes. For many years he's been one level below team principal, and has overseen strategy through a period when half the forum whined endlessly about the dominance of his team. We can be sure that as one of the senior management team at Brawn then Mercedes he has been involved in discussions and decisions far beyond strategy, and that many people in F1 will have worked with him and be aware of his abilities.

 

Is Team Principal a bigger job than his previous one? Of course it is. What's novel about that?
 

 

What's novel about it? He hasn't managed an F1 team before because all his experience involved race strategies and now he's going to the worst team on the grid to be a team principal. Has he managed any contracts? Dealt with sponsors? Managed hundreds of employees? Facilities? Of course not. On rare ocassion when Toto couldn't attend a gp he took over but it was only during a race weekend and he and Toto were most likely on the phone constantly.

 

It's like promoting a chief cook to be a restaurant manager. Not to mention hes going to a freaking Williams where you'd think an expiereinced TP is needed badly to manage this mess after the recent exodus of it's TD and the chief of aero.

[danmills]

The original 'Valtteri, it's James'.

Oh the memes to come for 2023.

[Beri]

Imagine being that team that carries both Martini and Gulf liveries in the space of a decade.

And that same team still being the second most successful team in history.

If only they were at the front of the field with a Gulf livery as much as they were with the Martini one during the first two seasons.

Oh well, one can dream can't he?

[pacificquay]

What's novel about it? He hasn't managed an F1 team before because all his experience involved race strategies and now he's going to the worst team on the grid to be a team principal. Has he managed any contracts? Dealt with sponsors? Managed hundreds of employees? Facilities? Of course not. On rare ocassion when Toto couldn't attend a gp he took over but it was only during a race weekend and he and Toto were most likely on the phone constantly.

 

It's like promoting a chief cook to be a restaurant manager. Not to mention hes going to a freaking Williams where you'd think an expiereinced TP is needed badly to manage this mess after the recent exodus of it's TD and the chief of aero.

If you go by the logic than no one can do a job they haven’t done before, no one would ever be promoted or progress their career.

[Beri]

What's novel about it? He hasn't managed an F1 team before because all his experience involved race strategies and now he's going to the worst team on the grid to be a team principal. Has he managed any contracts? Dealt with sponsors? Managed hundreds of employees? Facilities? Of course not. On rare ocassion when Toto couldn't attend a gp he took over but it was only during a race weekend and he and Toto were most likely on the phone constantly.

It's like promoting a chief cook to be a restaurant manager. Not to mention hes going to a freaking Williams where you'd think an expiereinced TP is needed badly to manage this mess after the recent exodus of it's TD and the chief of aero.

You're totally incorrect on all points you bring up. Even on the part where you state he has never managed an F1 team in a TP role. He managed the Mercedes team when Wolff was absent last season. So he does have that experience.

And I find it a bit belittling that you consider his experience only to be on the tactical side. It shows that you absolutely do not have a clue who Vowles is or what he has done recently.

[#99]

Looks like Williams could sport the famous Gulf colours this year. Depending on how big is the deal.

https://racingnews36...onic-f1-sponsor

I would love to see Williams get the funding and team in order to be able to compete again.  I'm finally enjoying my favourite football team - Newcastle United - in the top 4 of the league, I would love if Williams could retake their place in the top 4 in F1.

 

Back in the mid 90s when I was approaching my teens, Williams were at the top of their game and Newcastle were contenders (although never won anything) and I would dearly love a repeat of this as I approach my 40s and my kids hit their teens.

[Clatter]

What's novel about it? He hasn't managed an F1 team before because all his experience involved race strategies and now he's going to the worst team on the grid to be a team principal. Has he managed any contracts? Dealt with sponsors? Managed hundreds of employees? Facilities? Of course not. On rare ocassion when Toto couldn't attend a gp he took over but it was only during a race weekend and he and Toto were most likely on the phone constantly.

It's like promoting a chief cook to be a restaurant manager. Not to mention hes going to a freaking Williams where you'd think an expiereinced TP is needed badly to manage this mess after the recent exodus of it's TD and the chief of aero.

Worked out quite well for Briatore, who knew bugger all about motor racing. I reckon Vowles is a good hire.

Edited by Clatter, 15 January 2023 - 10:01.

[baddog]

Wait, are people demanding experience as an F1 team manager as a prerequisite  to be hired as an F1 team manager?

 

Am I the only one who sees the inherent problem with this argument? Like it being impossible for anyone to become a team manager?

 

Silly.

[midgrid]

It's like the current teams' attitude to new entries: there are ten team principles already, so the only option for change is to shuffle them.