On a cold English morning, the sound of the FW47 woke up the Williams staff and a few fans who had gathered at Silverstone for the launch of the new car. In a few minutes, Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon will take to the track under the watchful eye of James Vowles, a man who has taken on the challenge of leading a backmarker team and is steadily working to bring it back to the top. “Williams welcomed me like a family, I feel comfortable and very privileged. There is an incredible team developing around me, and seeing how much has changed in the last 12 months shows the dedication of hundreds of individuals,” said the team principal.
With his characteristic honesty, the former Mercedes engineer made no promises regarding the car’s performance and did not hide the challenges ahead. Williams has chosen to make long-term investments, hoping to return to competitiveness in the next regulatory cycle. “You will see us making progress, but our focus remains on 2026, 2027, and 2028. We are developing many elements with that goal in mind: this year, we have planned a major infrastructure overhaul, we have almost doubled our staff, and there is much more in progress. What matters to me is that we are not just looking at the short term—we want to win Championships, and that will take time, with some sacrifices in the present. But watch our journey, it will be fun,” James Vowles pointed out.
“The FW47 is an evolution of last year’s car, and we had a good winter. But the grid is very tight—I think in Abu Dhabi we were all within half a tenth of each other in qualifying, and the big unknown is that we don’t know how others have worked. I’m proud of what we’ve done; we have improved in hundreds of details, analyzing everything down to the last screw. On a normal weekend, it will be unlikely to see us on the podium, but if something happens, we have two strong drivers who will give it their all. Last year, we already saw plenty of surprises,” the Williams team principal concluded.
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