Williams make key ‘change’ as James Vowles addresses negative trend

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Williams have made a key ‘change’ as team principal James Vowles strives to address a negative trend and now bring his big-picture dream for the Formula 1 team to life.

Vowles has been in charge in Grove since January 2023 after leaving Mercedes and has had the outfit make heaps of progress. But more can be done to bring Williams back to the front of Formula 1 after regressing from their best championship result since 2017 so far this year.

At the summer break, Williams are only ninth in the constructors’ standings with four points after 14 rounds. Alex Albon has scored each of their points so far, too, with P9 finishes in the Monaco Grand Prix plus British Grand Prix. Logan Sargeant’s best result is P11 at Silverstone.

James Vowles has Williams working on their 2026 and 2027 Formula 1 cars

What has hurt Albon and Sargeant so far this year is Williams’ ongoing difficulties to reduce the weight of their car. But while some staff in Grove focus on improving the FW46, Vowles already has some of Williams’ squad looking ahead to Formula 1’s 2026 regulation changes.

Not only that but Vowles even has some of Williams’ team already thinking as far ahead as the 2027 Formula 1 season. He believes it is a major change for the outfit to not only focus on a following campaign but also to look beyond improving their car for the current season.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about F1’s 2026 engine and chassis regulations

Vowles believes splitting Williams’ staff into different groups focusing on multiple seasons is an improvement on how they previously worked. The team’s previous methods also did not prevent Williams from finishing the 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2022 seasons bottom of the pack.

“We separated the team out with the additional resources,” Vowles told RacingNews365. “We have team members focused on 2024, 2025, 2026 and a little bit of 2027, as well, at the same time.

“That’s a change for Williams. We’re more used to working one year in advance or even on the current year.”

Williams started F1’s last major regulation change strongly in 2014

Formula 1’s rules ban the 10 teams from starting to develop their cars for the 2026 season, when the series will introduce new chassis and engine regulations. But the FIA has updated the regulations to allow for 10 days of mule car testing this year to simulate the 2026 specs.

The mule car tests can only feature a current generation Formula 1 car modified to simulate out of competition what chassis changes the 2026 regulations will bring. Vowles is eager for Williams to be in the best position possible for those regulations, which may reset the field.

F1 has not introduced such large-scale regulation changes since the series adopted the V6 turbo-hybrid power units in 2014. Williams flourished that season with pole position for the 2014 Austrian Grand Prix through Felipe Massa, plus nine podium finishes across 19 rounds.