Hamilton to miss Vowles "clever thinking" at Mercedes

Sam Hall
Sunday 15 January 2023 07:00

Lewis Hamilton has delivered an "amazing" verdict on James Vowles' move from Mercedes to become the new Williams team principal.

The former Mercedes director of strategy's shock switch to Williams was confirmed on Friday, replacing Jost Capito.

Vowles has been a key figure at the Brackley-based team since its days as BAR, remaining with the outfit through its turbulent times as Honda, and enjoying the success of both Brawn GP and, eventually, Mercedes.

Such longevity has seen the 43-year-old work alongside Hamilton for a decade.

Asked about Hamilton's response to the departure, team principal Toto Wolff said: "I told him this week that this was going to happen and he is absolutely fine.

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"Working with James has always been a great pleasure for him.

"The clever thinking on a Sunday morning, that was good fun with James always.

"But he is absolutely...I think his first response was 'That's amazing for James'."

Speaking in a press briefing alongside Wolff, Vowles added: "For what it's worth, I called him and those were the first words that came out of his mouth.

"Not insulting me or telling me he's disappointed, it was quite the opposite.

"In fact, I'd probably say throughout Mercedes, I've had the fortune that near enough everyone I've spoken to has just been incredibly happy."