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James Vowles is determined to be competitive right from the start in 2026, though he acknowledges that Williams may face challenges in 2025. Currently ranked eighth in the team standings and aiming to surpass Haas and RB with two drivers scoring points, Vowles admits that the team’s focus on major improvements for the new regulations may impact their performance in 2025, which may not be what Carlos Sainz wants to hear.
“Both Alex and Carlos are aware of the message, that 2025 will be tough,” Vowles tells Autosport. “We may not see significant progress, we might even step back a bit,” he confesses.
“If that’s the case, I’m fine with it,” he adds, “because it means we’re investing properly for ’26 compared to our competitors.”
“This is what we should expect,” Vowles insists, “2025 will be challenging. It doesn’t necessarily mean we’ll finish tenth, but it will be a tough year.”
After a successful debut season under Vowles, Williams has struggled in 2024, especially with limited spare parts and overweight components at the beginning. Vowles reflects on last year’s seventh-place finish, despite tough competition from RB towards the end of the season.
“We were lucky to finish seventh last year,” Vowles acknowledges. “RB was very fast, and one strategic decision could have changed our position in the championship. Yet, we still managed to come in seventh.”
Speaking about the current car’s weight issues, Vowles explains, “We’ve made improvements by reducing the weight of the car, putting us back where we should be in the championship standings.”
“Our goal is to make significant advancements in technology and performance over the next few seasons,” Vowles states. “This approach may lead to challenges, but we cannot go back to what we already know.”
“I can almost guarantee that we will face setbacks,” he admits. “It may not happen in ’25, as we have a good plan in place. However, in ’26, we may push ourselves too hard and encounter obstacles along the way.”
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