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James Vowles

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James Vowles
Vowles in 2023
Born
James Patrick Vowles

(1979-06-20) 20 June 1979 (age 45)
Felbridge, West Sussex
NationalityBritish
Alma materUniversity of East Anglia (BSc)
Cranfield University (MA)
OccupationTeam Principal
EmployerWilliams Racing
PartnerRachel Rolph
Children1

James Patrick 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, including under the leadership of team principals David Richards, Ross Brawn, and Toto Wolff, and has played a key role in nine Constructors' Championships, eight Drivers' Championships and over 100 Grands Prix wins.[2][5]

Education

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Vowles attended the International School of Geneva, graduating in 1997 with an International Baccalaureate.[6] He went on to the University of East Anglia, obtaining a degree in computer science in 2000.[7] During his studies, he sought opportunities in various Formula One teams, aiming to apply his mathematical expertise in the racing industry; however, he encountered rejection from all of them, as they did not require mathematicians at the time. Some of the rejection letters suggested him to obtain an engineering degree instead, if he wanted to have a better chance in the sport.[8][9]

He pursued his passion for motorsport by earning a master's degree in Motorsport Engineering and Management from Cranfield University in 2001. As a student at Cranfield, he contributed to a project that won the Prodrive Award of Excellence for designing a racing car for the Jim Russell Racing School. The award ceremony was attended by several Formula One teams and he received multiple job offers the following day.[6][8]

Career

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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.[6][10] During his career in F1, he has worked with world champions Jacques Villeneuve, Jenson Button, Michael Schumacher, Lewis Hamilton, and Nico Rosberg.[5] In February 2023, he became team principal at Williams Racing.[1]

Brawn (2009)

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Vowles was the chief strategist of Brawn GP,[11][12] 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.[12] 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]

Mercedes (2010–2022)

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Vowles stayed with Brawn when it was bought by Mercedes at the end of 2009. Vowles, who was once seen as a potential successor to Toto Wolff as Mercedes team principal,[13] was one of the key figures behind Mercedes' unprecedented success in Formula One from 2014 to 2021,[14][15][3] winning eight consecutive constructors' championships and seven drivers' titles with Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg.[10] He was promoted from Chief Strategist to Motorsport Strategy Director in 2019,[6] and was responsible for overseeing the race strategy, performance analysis, and simulation departments.[6] Vowles was also known for his radio communications with the drivers during the races, most notably his interactions with Valtteri Bottas whenever Hamilton needed to use him for a benefit. This would later lead his opening message, "Valtteri, it's James," to become an internet meme.[16]

Williams (2023–present)

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In January 2023, he announced he was leaving Mercedes to become the team principal of Williams Racing,[1][10][2] replacing Jost Capito who stepped down in December 2022.[2][14][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".[13] Vowles said he was honoured to join Williams, an icon of the sport, and looked forward to the challenge of reviving their fortunes.[14] He is only the third team principal in the team's history.[1]

Awards

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In July 2017, Vowles received an honorary degree of Doctor of Science for his achievements in motorsport from the University of East Anglia.[17] In his acceptance speech, he described Formula 1 as his profession, passion, and life.[7] 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.[7]

Racing

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In the 2022 Asian Le Mans Series, he drove for the Garage 59 team.[18][19][9]

Racing career summary

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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

Personal life

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Vowles grew up in Switzerland and speaks French fluently. He currently lives in Oxford with his partner, a surgeon for the NHS, and their daughter.[20][21]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Williams Racing appoints new Team Principal". Williams F1. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d "James Vowles: Williams appoint former Mercedes strategy chief as team principal ahead of 2023 Formula 1 season". Sky Sports.
  3. ^ a b c Luke Smith (13 January 2023). "Williams announces Mercedes strategy boss Vowles as new F1 team principal". Autosport.
  4. ^ a b "The untold stories of Brawn GP: How close the fairy tale came to never happening". ESPN. 30 March 2020.
  5. ^ a b "Were Albon's best 2023 drives really 'world champion' level". The Race. 13 December 2023. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
  6. ^ a b c d e James Vowles on LinkedIn
  7. ^ a b c "James Vowles UEA Honorary Graduate Speech". SoundCloud. University of East Anglia. 18 July 2017. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
  8. ^ a b Beyond the Grid: James Vowles on YouTube
  9. ^ a b Sky Sports Podcast: James Vowles Q&A on YouTube
  10. ^ a b c Richards, Giles (13 January 2023). "Mercedes James Vowles to leave and become F1 team principal at Williams". Guardian.
  11. ^ "Brawn GP engineers 'thought we'd got our sums wrongs' ahead of fairytale start to 2009 season". Formula One.
  12. ^ a b "Lunch with Brawn GP". Motorsport Magazine. 13 January 2020.
  13. ^ a b "Do I regret joining Williams? No – I was too comfortable at Mercedes". MSN. The Daily Telegraph. 1 April 2023. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
  14. ^ a b c "Williams appoint James Vowles as new team principal". BBC Sport.
  15. ^ "Wolff: Vowles' new F1 role will benefit both Mercedes and Williams". Motorsport Week. 3 February 2023.
  16. ^ "The real significance of 'Valtteri, it's James'". The Race. 20 February 2023.
  17. ^ "Honorary Graduates of UEA". University of East Anglia. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
  18. ^ "Mercedes' F1 strategy chief Vowles eyes next racing challenge". Autosport. 2 December 2022. Retrieved 9 April 2023.
  19. ^ "Garage 59 Confirm Asian Le Mans Series Line-Ups For First McLaren 720S GT3 Effort". dailysportscar.com.
  20. ^ "45 Questions with James Vowles". Williams F1. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
  21. ^ F1 Beyond the Grid: James Vowles: On The Right Track With Albon + Sainz on YouTube
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