Team boss admits struggling F1 giants 'on CRUTCHES'

Williams

Team boss admits struggling F1 giants 'on CRUTCHES'

James Vowles has conceded Williams are stretched too thin as they look to make key decisions

Dan Davis

Sunday 6 August 2023 15:57

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James Vowles has admitted Williams are "on crutches" until they can hire more personnel to fill key gaps, with their development stunted by a threadbare team.

Vowles took up the team principal role in February, having decided to leave Mercedes, and has managed to tempt Pat Fry to join from Alpine.

Chief technical officer at Williams' rivals, Fry will work under Vowles when his employment begins in November and represents the boss' first major appointment.

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But several glaring holes still remain in the set-up and Vowles has freely admitted that his deputies are being forced to direct their attention away from their priorities.

As a result, Williams' push to kick on is being hampered.

James Vowles has pulled no punches on the size of the task facing Williams

Vowles: 'We're trying to do 10 things'

"We're fortunate with the team I have behind me at the moment because they are filling voids that exist. But clearly, we're on crutches," Vowles said.

"We're trying to do 10 things and it's always better if you focus on one. I'm not a strong engineer within the paddock. There are much stronger engineers than I am.

"What I am, though, is someone with a vision of where we want to get to and lead people there on that direction. People, at the moment, are very much aligned with that view."