Ranking the F1 team principals by job security as James Vowles signs new deal amid Fred Vasseur rumours

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James Vowles has signed a new contract at Williams, the team confirmed on Thursday. The former Mercedes strategist has been rewarded for his impressive performance in the role.

Williams haven’t confirmed the length of Vowles’ new deal, but it’s been described as a ‘long-term’ extension. While the team finished second from bottom in the 2024 standings, they’ve now jumped to fifth after bagging an excellent 55 points in the first 10 races.

The iconic Grove outfit want to win Grands Prix, and ultimately world championships, following the regulation changes, which is why they’ve already suspended development this year. They see Vowles as the man to lead them back to the top.

Meanwhile, Fred Vasseur’s Ferrari future is in doubt. Vasseur responded angrily to the wave of speculation before the Canadian GP, but could pay the price for the team’s failure to compete for the title.

Here, F1Oversteer ranks the safest team principals, with Vowles unsurprisingly in top spot and Vasseur in a worrying position.

1. James Vowles, Williams

Having only just signed a new contract, Vowles is 100% secure in his position – or as close to 100% as an F1 team boss can be. Only if Williams fall well short of their ambitions in F1’s new era will his position come under scrutiny.

2. Andrea Stella, McLaren

Andrea Stella was a contender for first place on this list too. The former Ferrari engineer delivered McLaren’s first constructors’ title since 1998 last year and they’re poised to go back-to-back. Even after a poor weekend in Montreal, the Woking outfit are 175 points clear of the pack with seven wins in 10 races.

3. Jonathan Wheatley, Sauber

Jonathan Wheatley has only recently started work at Sauber, but he’s overseen an immediate uptick. Nico Hulkenberg delivered their best result since 2022 with a stunning P5 in Spain, and then followed it up with four more points in Spain. They’ve already quintupled their 2024 haul, and there are signs of Wheatley’s influence in their elite pit-stop times – an area where they lost their way last season.

4. Toto Wolff, Mercedes

The ground-effect era has been a disappointment for Mercedes. George Russell’s win in Canada was only their sixth since the start of 2022. However, Toto Wolff led the team to a historic run of eight straight titles, and his power is consolidated by owning a third of the team.

5. Ayao Komatsu, Haas

Ayao Komatsu replaced the extremely popular Guenther Steiner last season but impressively delivered P7 in the standings. While their form has been inconsistent, Haas have gained a place this year, so there’s no prospect of eponymous team owner Gene looking to make another change.

6. Laurent Mekies, Racing Bulls

It’s difficult to position Laurent Mekies on the scale given that he plays a dual role. In addition to making Racing Bulls as competitive as possible, he’s tasked with developing young talent for Red Bull. Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson have both struggled after making the step up, but that’s not necessarily Mekies’ fault – the two drivers have thrived at Faenza, and Isack Hadjar has been a revelation this year.

7. Christian Horner, Red Bull

There has been a remarkable contradiction in the coverage of the Red Bull team boss this year. Some reports have claimed that Ferrari want to sign Christian Horner. But others have said that his job is at risk. In all likelihood, the Horner rumours are being spread by his detractors. But he knows that the shareholders will be watching closely as they drop down the order.

After 2023’s unprecedented success, they fell to third last term and are now fourth. The chaos on the other side of the garage has increased their reliance on Max Verstappen, and losing the Dutchman would be disastrous. That, plus the success of the 2026 engine project, will be crucial.

8. Andy Cowell, Aston Martin

Andy Cowell may appear surprisingly low on the list. After all, he only became team principal at the start of the year, nor will he carry the can for the team’s poor showing this year. But the pressure is immense. Lawrence Stroll has spent the best part of £1bn on turning Aston Martin into a contender, so he’ll expect them to contend from the outset in 2026.

Cowell was the engine mastermind behind Mercedes’ dominance, but he hasn’t yet built up that goodwill at Silverstone. Stroll is known as one of the most ruthless figures in the paddock.

9. Fred Vasseur, Ferrari

Ferrari boss Vasseur is out of contract at the end of the season, and there’s no indication at this stage that talks are underway over a new deal. Ferrari scoffed at the speculation over Vasseur, but it appears no decision has been made regarding an extension.

One of the reports in the Italian media suggested that Vasseur only has three races to convince John Elkann and the hierarchy.

10. Flavio Briatore, Alpine

It’s important to clarify first that Flavio Briatore isn’t the Alpine team principal. But he was already the de facto boss of the F1 team before Oliver Oakes’ departure left the position vacant. The latest is that Briatore could ‘quickly’ lose his job after Renault CEO Luca de Meo announced his exit – De Meo appointed the controversial Italian last year.