Vowles vows Williams received’t change into ‘mini-Mercedes’

New Williams crew principal James Vowles insists he received’t be making an attempt to create a “mini-Mercedes” however that he’ll look to hold over what he deems sure essential components.

Vowles will depart his function of motorsport technique director at Mercedes to guide Williams on February 20, after greater than twenty years at Brackley. After spells as BAR, Honda and Brawn, Vowles rose to the senior management degree throughout Mercedes’ dominant spell and says there are to predominant facets that he’ll prioritize at Williams whereas taking the crew by itself path.

“I wouldn’t contemplate it a mini-Mercedes. Williams is an extremely unbiased crew in its personal proper that’s fashioned its personal historical past and its personal heritage,” Vowles mentioned. “However my intention is to go there… After we requested our senior management crew (at Mercedes), ‘What’s a very powerful ingredient of the crew?’ it is going to all the time return to 2 issues: Individuals, and tradition.

“Not the machine store ground, not the wind tunnel instruments, not the driver-in-loop simulator; it comes again to individuals and tradition, and I imagine precisely the identical to be true inside Williams.

“Earlier than setting foot in there I’m uncertain of the place we’re for the time being however it’s the highest factor on my precedence listing, ensuring that everybody understands that it’s about working collectively, it’s about empowerment, it’s about treating your colleagues with the respect you need again from them and the expansion you need again from them in an effort to work collectively in the direction of an finish purpose.”

Vowles provides the concept he would do something to profit Mercedes having left the crew is totally false, as he takes on his first crew principal job.

“The second that you simply put a crisp Williams shirt on, that’s the place you’re, that’s the place your loyalty is and that’s the place my success and the crew’s success will come from. There’s no mini-Mercedes, no B-team or any of that notion. That is about me standing alone two legs and making a hit with a company round me.”