Lewis Hamilton says he has confidence that James Vowles will bring Williams back to a competitive situation as its new team boss.
Vowles has spent the last several years working for Mercedes in a senior strategy role and was an instrumental figure in the team’s dominance throughout the turbo-hybrid era.
Mercedes won eight consecutive Constructors’ Championships from 2014 to 2021, while its run of Drivers’ titles stretched seven straight years.
Williams, however, has languished towards the rear of the field, finishing bottom on the championship four out of the last five seasons.
Vowles replaces Jost Capito as the Williams Team Principal, with the latter opting to retire following the conclusion of the 2022 campaign.
Taking to social media on Friday evening, Hamilton expressed gratitude towards Vowles.
“I am so proud and grateful to have worked with James for the past 10 years,” Hamilton said.
“Together we have won over 80 races and 15 titles. This is such a great move and I couldn’t be happier for him.
“We all need to change in order to progress and I’m confident that he’ll push Williams forward to being more competitive. There is nobody more deserving of this role. Wishing you the best brother.”
Mercedes CEO Toto Wolff revealed that Hamilton had a positive reaction when he was informed of Vowles’ new role.
“His first response was, ‘that’s amazing for James’ – I think this is maybe the importance sentence,” Wolff said.
Vowles added: “For what it’s worth, when I called him those were the first words that came out of his mouth, not insulting me or telling me he’s disappointed, it’s quite the opposite.”
Vowles will start his new role on February 20 as F1 enters the second year of its operation under fresh technical regulations.
Williams will unveil its 2023 livery on February 6, but has not detailed when it will showcase its actual car.
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