F1 News: Williams Confirm New Team Principal After Jost Capito Exit

Mercedes' chief strategist, James Vowles, will be joining the team.

Williams have confirmed that Mercedes' F1 chief strategist James Vowles will be their new team principal from 20th February. 

Vowles has been working in the F1 industry for around twenty years. During this time he has been involved with the management of the young driver programme and the  engineering side of the eight time constructor's champions. 

The British engineer has spoken about the big move saying that it is an "honour to join a team with such incredibly rich heritage". He explained:

"I cannot wait to start with Williams Racing. 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.

"Mercedes have been hugely supportive on my journey, and we part on excellent terms after over 20 years of working in Brackley. I am grateful for everything Toto [Wolff] and the team have provided, and it has been such a special experience to journey together through failure and success.

"Williams Racing have placed their faith and trust in me, and I will do the same in return. Williams has tremendous potential, and our journey together starts in a matter of weeks."

The Williams team was founded by engineer and racing driver Frank Williams in 1977 after his first team, the Frank Williams Racing Team, was unsuccessful. They reached their peek in the 1980s and 90s winning nine constructor's championships and seven driver's championships. 

Unfortunately, the team have seen a steady decline over the more recent years and came tenth in the 2022 championship. 

Jost Capito, who stepped down from the Williams team principal role before Christmas, was at the team for two seasons after it was bought out by Dorilton Capital. Matthew Savage, Dorilton Capital chairman, has said in a statement about the new team principal:

"We are delighted to welcome James to Williams Racing. He is one of the most highly respected talents in Formula One and will bring performance.

"He has been a key part of some of the most impressive feats in the sport over the past 15 years. As we continue our relentless pursuit for results, we believe that the appointment of James reinforces our dedication to ensuring we have energetic, experienced, and strong leadership as we move into the next phase of transforming Williams Racing."

Vowles is not the only new member of the Williams team for the 2023 season with the addition of rookie American driver Logan Sargeant joining the line-up alongside Alex Abon.