Jenson Button names the current F1 boss he never thought would become a team principal

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Jenson Button worked with some of the most famous team principals in the history of Formula 1 during his time in the sport.

Williams handed Jenson Button his F1 debut in 2000, and the legendary Frank Williams showed him the ropes in the sport that year.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Williams Racing from team principal to Mercedes relationship

Button had a much more fractious relationship with Flavio Briatore during his time at Benetton and Renault, before moving to BAR.

BAR became Honda which then became Brawn GP and Ross Brawn was the man in charge when Button won his only F1 title in 2009 before spending his final seven seasons on the grid with McLaren.

He worked with Ron Dennis and Martin Whitmarsh who tended to have their differences while in charge of McLaren and by the end of 2016, the trio had either left the team or were on their way out, with Button’s cameo at the 2017 Monaco Grand Prix his final race in the sport.

Button was speaking on the Sky Sports F1 Podcast about another current team principal he previously worked with.

There has been a shift in the paddock with engineers now taking a bigger leadership role with teams.

James Vowles is one such example at Williams although Button admits having worked with the 45-year-old, he never thought he’d be an F1 team boss.

Jenson Button surprised James Vowles became an F1 team principal

Button was asked about how Vowles has fared at Williams he said: “He’s a sweet talker, as we all know.

“I think in his role at Williams, he really has been exceptional. And [I’m] proud to see what he’s achieved. I worked with him as a strategist back in 2003.

“So to see him take the reins at Williams, a team with such history, is, yeah, very proud of him. So it’s great to see what he’s doing there.”

READ MORE: Williams boss James Vowles shares why he didn’t want to sign Adrian Newey from Red Bull

Asked if he ever saw Vowles becoming a team principal, Button said: “No!” When asked to clarify why, he explained: “Even when the team announced him, I was like, oh, that’s cool. That’s really cool.

“But I don’t know how I didn’t know how close James was to Toto [Wolff]. And he was basically a mini Toto. He was learning from Toto. And I didn’t know that.

“So I’m really impressed with him. And I have to say for me, he’s the best team leader in the pit lane.”

James Vowles ready to sacrifice 2025 season for the long-term success of Williams

Vowles was brought in by Williams at a time when the team were arguably at the lowest point in their history.

Robert Kubica said he regretted returning to F1 with Williams and they recorded back-to-back last-place finishes in the Constructors’ Championship in 2019 and 2020.

The likes of Nicolas Latifi and Logan Sargeant underperforming didn’t do them any favours, but there’s an obvious upward trend in their performances since Vowles’s arrival.

Williams are also dealing with updating their facilities which are out of date compared to their rivals with the 2026 season and beyond in mind.

So much so, that Vowles has said he’s willing to sacrifice the 2025 season if that’s what it takes to be competitive again going forward.

That might not be what new driver Carlos Sainz wants to hear when he arrives next year, but Vowles’s clear vision for the future is why Button has been so impressed with his tenure thus far.