F1 EXPLAINS: Ask an F1 Team Principal with Williams boss James Vowles

Dealing with drivers, signing sponsors, repairing crashes and making big decisions; Formula 1 Team Principals have a lot to handle. On the latest episode of the F1 Explains podcast, Williams Racing boss James Vowles answers listener questions about his wide-ranging job.

Vowles became Team Principal of Williams for the 2023 season. Since then, he has signed race-winning driver Carlos Sainz to join proven performer Alex Albon and has told the team to focus on achieving success in 2026, when the sport’s new rules offer an opportunity to ambitious midfield teams. Securing new title sponsor Atlassian is another major achievement of Vowles’ time in charge of Williams.

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Speaking to F1 Explains podcast presenter Christian Hewgill, Vowles explores every area of his job, including what he does on the pit wall during a Grand Prix.

"I'm fortunate to have a really strong team around me that are doing all the hard work, really", says Vowles, who was in charge of race strategy at Mercedes before stepping up to the top job at Williams.

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"My job is just to make sure that we're on the right pathway, that we're looking at the right things. And every now and again, because I have been doing this for 20 years, ask questions of, 'have you seen this? What's going on with that?' You almost helicopter above it all. And that is really the job of the Team Principal.

"The way I describe it is when you go to a bowling alley with a five-year-old, or a really bad 30-year-old, you put up the bumpers on the sides so the ball can't go in the gutter. And my job is that if I see that we’re going towards a gutter, I just ask the right questions and bring it back on target.

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"But never take away the empowerment of the team. The team are the experts that spend every hour of their life doing this.

"[My job] is just to make sure we helicopter above it. That and probably messaging a load of other people up and down the right to distract them!"

Vowles speaks with presenter Christian Hewgill for the latest episode of F1 Explains

The full episode of F1 Explains is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and all other podcast apps here, or you can listen using the player above on this page.

F1 Explains is the official F1 podcast which answers your questions about the sport. You can send your questions to F1Explains@F1.com.