F1 boss reveals extremely ambitious world championship goal

Sam Cook
Monday 13 November 2023 14:57

Williams F1 team principal James Vowles has once again reiterated his disinterest in whether his team can finish seventh or eighth in the constructors' championship, instead suggesting his goal is "to bring the team back to first place."

The former Mercedes man recently admitted that his 'interest isn't on this year', after becoming the Grove-based outfit's team principal at the end of last year.

Whilst Williams have experienced a significant improvement in 2023, star driver Alex Albon's supreme performances have still only been enough to put the team in seventh in the constructors' championship, seven points ahead of their nearest rivals AlphaTauri.

The difference between finishing seventh or eighth can mean a significant amount of prize money at the end of the season, money that can be of serious help to smaller teams.

However, Vowles isn't too bothered by the cash prize. The Brit wants to focus on getting Williams back to where they belong, having not won a world championship since 1997.

“Our goal is not to finish 7th or 8th in 2023, but to know how to bring this team back to first place,” explained Vowles in a video on Williams' official website.

"What you're trying to balance in tandem are the developments behind the scenes, the systems and structures, the car of next year and the car of 2026.

"You just can't put all of these elements in the same sphere and hope to succeed in each of them.

"We want to take a step forward in 2024, then in 2025 and in 2026. We have to go through this transformation and I much prefer to invest everything necessary in this area at the cost of this year's developments."

Vowles pessimistic about Williams chances

With AlphaTauri, Haas and Alfa Romeo all implementing late-season upgrades to their cars, Williams' gap in seventh has been slowly diminishing in recent races.

Now, Vowles has revealed why, stating that his team started focusing on 2024 a long time ago.

"We stopped working on this year's car many, many months ago," he continued.

"This could mean that we put our 7th place in the Manufacturers' Championship at risk. Despite everything, I am very happy with the decision we made."

Williams will be looking to make the most of their straight-line speed at the highly anticipated Las Vegas Grand Prix next Sunday.

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