James Vowles

James Vowles (born 20 June 1979) is a British motorsport engineer and Team Principal of Williams Racing.[1] Before joining Williams, he was the motorsport strategy director at Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team.[2][3] He was also responsible for the Brawn GP race strategy, which was critical to the team's championship-winning 2009 season.[4] He has worked in Formula One for over 20 years and has played a key role in nine Constructors' Championships, eight Drivers' Championships and over 100 Grands Prix.[2] He has worked under the leadership of team principals David Richards, Ross Brawn, and Toto Wolff during his career.

James Vowles
Vowles on the podium at the 2019 Hungarian Grand Prix
Born
James Patrick Vowles

(1979-06-20) 20 June 1979
Felbridge, West Sussex
NationalityBritish
Alma materCranfield University – master's degree in motorsport engineering and management
OccupationTeam Principal
EmployerWilliams Racing

Career

He started his career in Formula One with British American Racing in 2001 and stayed with the team through its transitions to Honda Racing F1, Brawn GP, and Mercedes.[5][6] He is now team principal at Williams Racing.[1]

Brawn (2009)

Vowles was the chief strategist of Brawn GP,[7][8] a team that competed in the 2009 season. He was responsible for planning and executing the race strategy for the team's drivers, Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello. Vowles played a key role in Brawn GP's remarkable success, as the team won eight races and both the drivers' and constructors' championships in its debut and only season.[8] He also helped to overcome some of the challenges that Brawn GP faced, such as a limited budget and a late start to testing.[4] Vowles stayed with the team when it was bought by Mercedes at the end of 2009.

Mercedes (2010 - 2022)

Vowles, who was once seen as a potential successor to Toto Wolff as Mercedes team principal,[9] was one of the key figures[10][11][3] behind Mercedes' unprecedented success in Formula One from 2014 to 2021; winning eight consecutive constructors' championships and seven drivers' titles[6] with Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg. He was promoted from Chief Strategist to Motorsport Strategy Director in 2019[5] and was responsible for overseeing the race strategy, performance analysis and simulation departments.[5] Vowles was also known for his radio communications with the drivers during the races, often providing crucial information and guidance.[12]

Williams (2023 - present)

In January 2023, he announced he was leaving Mercedes to become the team principal of Williams Racing,[1][6][2] replacing Jost Capito who stepped down in December 2022[2][10][3] In an interview with the Daily Telegraph, Vowles said that he felt 'too comfortable' at Mercedes and was looking for a new challenge. He described the offer of team principal at Williams as an 'opportunity of a lifetime.'[9] Vowles said he was honoured to join Williams, an icon of the sport, and looked forward to the challenge of reviving their fortunes.[10] He is only the third team principal in the team's history.[1]

Education

Vowles attended the International School of Geneva, graduating in 1997 with an International Baccalaureate.[5] He went on to the University of East Anglia, obtaining a degree in computer science in 2000,[13] followed by a master's degree in Motorsport Engineering and Management from Cranfield University in 2001, receiving the Prodrive Award of Excellence.[5]

Awards

In July 2017, Vowles received an honorary degree of Doctor of Science for his achievements in motorsport from the University of East Anglia.[14] In his acceptance speech, he described Formula 1 as his profession, passion, and life.[13] In reference to George Washington Burnap's essentials of happiness, he named Formula 1 as one of the three key ingredients to his personal happiness.[13]

Racing

In the 2022 Asian Le Mans Series, he drove for the Garage 59 team.[15][16]

Career summary
Season Series Team Races Wins Poles FLaps Podiums Points Position
2022 Asian Le Mans Series - GT Garage 59 4 0 0 0 0 2 17th

References
  1. "Williams Racing appoints new Team Principal". Williams F1. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
  2. "James Vowles: Williams appoint former Mercedes strategy chief as team principal ahead of 2023 Formula 1 season". Sky Sports.
  3. Luke Smith (13 January 2023). "Williams announces Mercedes strategy boss Vowles as new F1 team principal". Autosport.
  4. "The untold stories of Brawn GP: How close the fairy tale came to never happening". ESPN. 30 March 2020.
  5. James Vowles on LinkedIn
  6. Richards, Giles (13 January 2023). "Mercedes James Vowles to leave and become F1 team principal at Williams". Guardian.
  7. "Brawn GP engineers 'thought we'd got our sums wrongs' ahead of fairytale start to 2009 season". Formula One.
  8. "Lunch with Brawn GP". Motosport Magazine.
  9. "Do I regret joining Williams? No – I was too comfortable at Mercedes". MSN. The Daily Telegraph. 1 April 2023. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
  10. "Williams appoint James Vowles as new team principal". BBC Sport.
  11. "Wolff: Vowles' new F1 role will benefit both Mercedes and Williams". Motorsport Week. 3 February 2023.
  12. "The real significance of 'Valtteri, it's James'". The Race. 20 February 2023.
  13. "James Vowles UEA Honorary Graduate Speech". SoundCloud. University of East Anglia. 18 July 2017. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
  14. "Honorary Graduates of UEA". University of East Anglia. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
  15. "Mercedes' F1 strategy chief Vowles eyes next racing challenge". Autosport. 2 December 2022. Retrieved 9 April 2023.
  16. "Garage 59 Confirm Asian Le Mans Series Line-Ups For First McLaren 720S GT3 Effort". dailysportscar.com.
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