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Nov 23, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team driver George Russell of Great Britain (63) drives during the Las Vegas Grand Prix at the Las Vegas Circuit. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images
Toto Wolff and James Vowles found their team at odds during the Monaco GP.
Nov 23, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team driver George Russell of Great Britain (63) drives during the Las Vegas Grand Prix at the Las Vegas Circuit. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images
James Vowles has a reputation for being a calm presence throughout the race weekend. The Williams F1 team principal has brought the team to new heights during the 2025 season. Vowles’s usual demeanor was came under pressure during the Monaco GP. A bad qualifying session meant that his drivers were at disadvantage.
The team was going up against Racing Bulls during the Monaco GP. Initially, Williams’ strategy was to try and bet on a safety car. But, Liam Lawson and his slow driving completely ruined their strategy. As a result, Williams had to copy the same strategy as Racing Bulls and order their drivers to go slow. This strategy, even though working in Williams favor, was frustrating for the other F1 drivers.
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) May 25, 2025
Most importantly, the Mercedes duo of George Russell and Kimi Antonelli was stuck behind Williams. They were getting increasingly furious with the slow pace of the cars ahead of them.
James Vowles and Toto Wolff Engage in Conversation Mid-Race
Toto Wolff has no option but to watch his drivers face trouble during the race. Russell even tried to cut the chicane and get ahead. However, his maneuver was not accepted by the stewards. Russell got a drive-through penalty during the race.
“There were teams that were punching above their weight, like the, and they had to protect their position, and as well as the Williams, and we were probably one of the victims of that. But we were, because our Saturday didn’t go well.”
Additionally, Wolff also made a shocking reveal. James Vowles sent him a text mid-race wherein he issued an apology to the Mercedes boss. Wolff was understanding of the situation and simply accepted his sorry with a- “We know.”
Mercedes F1 boss Toto Wolff revealed that Williams boss James Vowles sent him a text mid-Monaco GP apologising for the tactics being used by the Grove-based team 📲
The Williams cars were lapping up to six seconds off the pace at stages, holding up the two Mercedes drivers. pic.twitter.com/SN3fif2w5M
— Crash.net – Formula 1 (@CRASH_NET_F1) May 25, 2025
James Vowles was previously at Mercedes. He still shares an amicable relationship with his former boss. Mercedes is still far ahead of Williams when it comes to race weekend. Yet slowly and steadily, Williams are racking up points and improving their car.
The race in Monaco was particularly frustrating for both teams. But the Silver Arrows were reaping the results of their below par qualifying performance from Saturday.
I work as a Writer at The Playoffs specialising in Formula 1 and Motorsports. I got into online journalism a couple of years ago. I used to be an intern for a website managing their Formula 1 content and then I served an entire year as a contractual writer.
For me, online journalism was not something I expected. I am a Mechanical Engineer aiming to join Formula 1. At the same time, I am a poet, writer and my university's Literary Club Lead. One day the dots connected together and I realised I could use my writing skills to convey my passion for Motorsports.
The biggest aspects I love about my role are- Scuderia Ferrari and Sebastian Vettel. When I am not fawning over them I like to convey my opinions to the public, in a manner which helps them gain a new point of view. I love helping people explore new ideas about Motorsports and obviously get recognised as a writer all over the world.
Message to Readers: I promise you one day you'll see me managing operations on track with a Formula 1 team ; )
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