F1 team principal hints at 'sacrificing' 2024 season

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F1 team principal hints at 'sacrificing' 2024 season

James Vowles shares insight on Williams' plans for the 2024 F1 season

Anna Malyon

Sunday 10 December 2023 18:57

Williams team principal James Vowles has revealed he is willing to sacrifice the 2024 season to position the team for a competitive presence in the 2025 and 2026 seasons.

Williams finished seventh in the constructors' championship this season with 28 points, marking a significant improvement from the 2022 season when they finished at the bottom with eight points.

Despite the progress from the previous season, Vowles acknowledges that it will take some time for Williams to compete with the top teams, indicating a readiness to potentially sacrifice the upcoming season for long-term gains.

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“We’re not simply going to step up and fight amongst the giants unless we take these large leaps,” Vowles admitted.

“It also means that I’m prepared to still sacrifice 2024 if it means that we can keep making those large leaps and steps in 2025 and 2026.

“Because the truth is as satisfying as it was to finish seventh, that’s not what I want for the team. What I want for the team is the ability to have the infrastructure and systems that they can start fighting and we can start fighting for podiums and more.

“And you can’t achieve that by scratching around the same region, you’ve really got to change quite a bit of the deep, underlying infrastructure and foundations and belief of what you’re doing.”