Through thick and thin
Being the leader of a work group, in any context, can lead to sometimes using the carrot and sometimes the stick with your employees. In the latest interview given to the Dutch site Formule1.nl James Vowlesformer and current head of Mercedes strategy Williams team principalused the second.
Williams – fresh from very difficult years – was the surprise of the championship last year, managing to achieve an unexpected seventh place in the Constructors’ standings. This year, however, the expected further step forward has not yet arrived. The team remained without points in the first seven rounds of the championship and only Alex Albon’s excellent qualifying performance in Monaco allowed the team to collect two important points over the weekend in the Principality.
Vowles stings the team
For Vowles, however, this is not enough: “There is not a single part of this company that I can be satisfied with – declared the number one of the Grove wall – we are nowhere near the level of a title competing team. This may seem like a harsh statement, but unfortunately it’s the truth. There is still a lot to do and a lot to change before taking the right path”.
A harsh but certainly shareable consideration, which probably also explains the Williams’ desire to enter the race to sign Carlos Sainz, who alongside Albon would guarantee a solid and experienced couple. Certainly, however, these words also certify the Vowles’ great ambitionwhich no longer wants to be satisfied with keeping the historic British team above the last place in the standings, but aims for much more important goals.
