Williams Racing team principal James Vowles has revealed the team’s long-term strategy to return to the top of Formula 1, with a focus that extends well beyond the current season and into the next several years. Despite a challenging 2024 season that has seen Williams regress to ninth place with only four points from 14 rounds, Vowles remains confident in the foundation being laid for future success.
Vowles, who took over as team principal earlier this year, is not overly concerned about the team’s current dip in performance. He emphasized that the primary focus is on building a competitive base for the all-new technical regulations set to be introduced in 2026. This forward-thinking approach includes planning for the 2025 and 2026 seasons, and even allocating resources to work on the 2027 campaign.
“As strange as this sounds, I’m not worried about it,” Vowles explained. “Everything we are doing is investing in ‘26 and beyond. A lot of what we’re doing at the moment is really quite invisible under the surface, but it’s changing fundamentally the technologies, culture, people, and infrastructure at Williams.”
Since his appointment, Vowles has initiated an aggressive recruitment drive, resulting in nearly 250 new hires. This expansion has allowed Williams to shift from focusing on immediate goals to planning several seasons in advance, a strategy typically employed by top teams like Mercedes and Red Bull. According to Vowles, this approach is crucial for ensuring that Williams can be competitive when the 2026 regulations come into play.
“We’re also investing in ’25,” Vowles added. “Our car is not a ’24 car in the wind tunnel. It’s been ’25 for quite a few months. The goal is to get the ’26 car in the tunnel as soon as possible, while still having a solid ’25 car.”
To achieve this, Williams has restructured its operations, with separate teams now focusing on the 2024, 2025, 2026, and even 2027 seasons. This represents a significant shift for Williams, which traditionally worked only one year in advance. The ability to plan multiple seasons ahead is seen as vital for the team’s long-term competitiveness.
Vowles acknowledged that this change takes time for the organization to adapt to, but he is confident in the direction the team is headed. “We’ve started from further back than I would like, but I’m very confident in what we are doing behind the scenes,” he said. “There’s nothing that I would have changed along this pathway so far.”
With this comprehensive strategy in place, Williams aims to reestablish itself as a competitive force in Formula 1. While the immediate results may not reflect the progress being made, Vowles is focused on building a sustainable foundation that will enable the team to challenge the front-runners in the years to come.
Photo from James Vowles Instagram
