Will Mercedes' influence increase further with the arrival of Vowles?

The idea of Sir Frank Williams

Led by Frank and later Claire, Williams has always been an independent team. The team's strength was that it made all their own parts and was not dependent on anyone. They always had to look for a suitable engine partner, but with Ford, Renault and Honda they had great success in the 1980s and 1990s.

Yet the successes declined in recent years. Early in the hybrid era, Williams benefited from the dominant Mercedes engine, but after the other manufacturers also managed to build a good engine, Williams were left behind. With Dirk de Beer, Paddy Lowe and François-Xavier Demaison, big names were brought to the team to design the car, but success failed to materialise.

Cooperation with Mercedes

With the Williams family meanwhile no longer involved in the team and Dorilton Capital taking firm control, a change is visible at Williams. For the 2022 season, parts were picked away from Mercedes for the first time, without developing them themselves. This allowed Williams engineering to focus on other parts to make a difference.

This did not yet yield success in 2022, but the formula of buying as many parts as possible from a top team has already proven successful. That way, Alfa Romeo, AlphaTauri and Haas have outperformed Williams as small teams for years. Aston Martin also looked away from the small teams and, by copying the top teams, also managed to climb the rankings quickly.

At Williams, that little bell seems to have started ringing now too, which may shift the Grove team's focus to other areas. Williams has been a team of engineers in the past and so they can certainly make a difference there compared to the competition. Then put two competitive drivers behind the wheel and they can find their way back up in no time.

What does Vowles' arrival mean?

Vowles being recruited from Mercedes is, in that respect, more and more a signal that Williams are choosing a different route. Vowles brings in a lot of experience from a top team, but also a lot of experience across all borrowed parts. He will know exactly how to get the most out of the Mercedes parts, then focus on designing the rest of the car.

The fact that Mercedes are giving one of their top people space to get going at Williams also indicates that the collaboration has improved. For Vowles, Williams may be a good learning opportunity, ahead of when Toto Wolff decides to quit as team boss at Mercedes. To what extent Williams will become more of a B-team from Mercedes under Vowles' leadership remains to be seen.

Picking Vowles away from Mercedes is a nice move by Williams and with the former Motorsport Strategy Director they also have a great name as the team's figurehead. Still, the future remains to be seen whether it will be successful. Paddy Lowe was another big name who was brought in with high praise but was also sent packing.