As pressure mounted on Williams from a disappointing first half of 2024, the team has managed to turn things around. They have jumped from 9th to 8th in the Championship, overtaking Alpine and within striking range of Haas and VCARB. With that said, James Vowles is more interested in improving Williams’ long-term capabilities.
Vowles expects Williams to fight near the front by 2028
Since becoming team principal at Williams, putting the team in the best position for long-term growth has been James Vowles’ priority.
This focus is what motivated his decision to completely restructure the design process at Williams, even at the expense of their initial performance in 2024.
Because of this, the FW46 began the season overweight and with very few spare parts. However, Vowles justified this approach by putting it in the context of preparation for the 2026 regulations.
For the Grove-based team, these new regulations are a key stepping stone in their F1 aspirations.
Williams building towards the future
In a recent interview, James Vowles outlined how many years he thinks Williams need to become a top team.
“The clear objectives are forward progress and making sure we’re investing in the right areas. Those are the key targets,” he explained to the BBC.
“What I have said externally is – Expect good results as we get towards ’28.
“That’s a sensible period of time in front of us. ’26 we’ll move forward, I have no doubt about it.
“But the real infrastructure starts kicking in in ’27, ’28.”
Like many teams across the field, Williams have invested in the necessary infrastructure to bridge the gap to the front-runners.
The aim is to ensure that big teams, such as Red Bull and Mercedes, no longer enjoy the resource advantage that proved so decisive at the beginning of the hybrid era.
Of course, new facilities are no guarantee of success. Aston Martin are a recent example of the challenges that come with fighting at the very front.
Still, James Vowles is convinced that Williams are on track to climb the grid.
