Will Williams and Mercedes step up partnership? 'I do wonder'

Karun Chandhok thinks it is a bold choice by Williams to appoint James Vowles as team boss. In doing so, the former Formula 1 driver does not rule out further intensifying its partnership with Mercedes, he told Sky Sports.

After Jost Capito and Williams decided to part ways, the team went behind the scenes to look for a replacement team boss. Chandhok is not surprised that it ended up with Vowles, who was still working for Mercedes at the time.

According to the analyst, it cannot be ruled out that there is more behind the deal. "I do wonder whether there’s some Mercedes element to this deal, because it’s very rare that you find someone certainly in a senior position of a team move across with zero gardening leave," he said.

Confidence in Vowles' qualities

Chandhok expects Vowles to do well at his new team. Although Williams has not managed to move away from the bottom places in recent years, he thinks the British racing stable will be able to start moving up in the coming seasons.

"I think it’s a good move. Actually, I like the fact that they’ve gone for a bold move in terms of getting someone who hasn’t done the role before, but someone with an engineering background, who’s recently worked with a top team."