Ralf Schumacher says James Vowles is no longer ‘doing his job properly’ at Williams

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Ralf Schumacher has slammed James Vowles’ management of Williams during the 2026 F1 season, highlighting how their struggles to get up to speed in the sport’s new era of regulations are a result of the team principal ‘not doing his job properly’.

Following their best performance in the constructors’ standings for nearly 10 years last season, team boss James Vowles reassured fans that Williams would begin the 2026 F1 campaign on the right foot after making sacrifices during 2025.

However, it simply hasn’t come to fruition, and the 46-year-old has now been accused of shifting the goalposts following his latest comments regarding the future competitiveness of the team.

During a recent interview with Frankie Langan, Vowles detailed his most recent ‘realistic’ goals for the team as they continue to try and get themselves out of the hole that they have dug in pre-season.

After stating that they have ‘no chance’ of competing for the constructors’ title this year, Vowles then added, “In terms of why not this year, it’s because there are investments that we’re doing that really will only come to fruition between 2028 and 2030.”

• READ MORE: Williams realised that ‘nothing fit’ when they tried to build their 2026 Formula 1 car

Ralf Schumacher criticises James Vowles for ‘not doing his job properly’ at Williams

Speaking via the Backstage Boxengasse podcast, F1 pundit Ralf Schumacher criticised Vowles’s recent comments, highlighting how the team principal is no longer doing his job properly at the Grove-based F1 outfit.

In response to Vowles’ notion that Williams fans can expect to see their team back on top between 2028 and 2030, he said, “To be perfectly honest, I think that’s been something of a disappointment for Williams this year.

“You’ve got the best engine, you buy all the necessary parts, and yet you’re unable to build a car that even comes close to meeting the weight target. I think it’s fair to say that, from a management perspective, James Vowles should have pulled the plug on that.”

The biggest gremlin that Williams currently have is that their FW48 is well above the minimum weight stipulated in the 2026 F1 regulations.

Engineers at Grove are reportedly planning an upgrade for Miami that should save Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz around half a second per lap, but it remains to be seen how the chassis update will affect the car’s overall balance.

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“If you’ve got a carbon fibre guy sitting there who can’t get it right and ends up with a 30-kilo weight penalty, then the question is what his job description actually is, or you have to face the consequences. And that shows that the structure at Williams is clearly not good enough.

“He’s been there long enough now, so he should have made changes. It’s as simple as that. And there’s no excuse. I mean, the fact that Williams isn’t in the running for the world championship is one thing, but there’s no reason why Williams should be so far behind Alpine.

“Unfortunately, and I really like him, but I have to admit that he’s not doing his job properly, because ultimately it’s his responsibility, his team, and until 2030, that’s far too long.

“As an investor, I wouldn’t have the patience for that, and there’s absolutely no justification for it.”

• READ MORE: Alex Albon’s meetings with Red Bull owners could make him a contender to replace Max Verstappen