Vowles went from top to bottom: 'Mercedes has resources you can dream of'

James Vowles went from strategic director at Mercedes to team boss of Williams. He moved away from the team that won the constructors' title in F1 eight years in a row and ended up at the struggling end of the grid. The differences are staggering.

Williams missed out on investment

Williams has a fine track record in Formula 1, but in the last six years there has been particularly little left of the team's status. It was to be expected, but Vowles, who made the move from the top of the field to the bottom of the F1 grid, sees particularly big differences between F1 teams.

The Briton told Formel1.de: "Yes, it is very different. [Mercedes] has resources you can only dream of. That is not so much the case at Williams. There was a time in the team's past when it could not make the necessary investments and you can see that very well in the building that is here."

Light at the end of the tunnel for Williams

Meanwhile, Williams is no longer owned by the Williams family, but investor Dorilton Capital is swaying it. Although Williams' backlog is less than in the team's worst years (2018 - 2020), the team led by Vowles still has a lot of catching up to do.

He said: "What I do see in both organisations [Mercedes and Williams] is the passion, the will to progress effectively and do the best you can. That remains the same whether you are at the top or at the bottom." The team boss thinks positively about Williams' future: "[We see] slowly the light appearing at the end of the tunnel."