Walking away from Mercedes to risk everything for Williams, with F1 Boss James Vowles (E237)
The High Performance Podcast
High Performance
4.8 • 4.7K Ratings
🗓️ 29 January 2024
⏱️ 80 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
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This episode offers a rare glimpse into the mind of a Formula 1 leader on building culture, pushing boundaries and cultivating discipline.
James Vowles is the Team Principal of Williams Racing, joining the team in January 2022 after leaving his position as Motorsport Strategy Director at Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team. James’ motorsport career has spanned over two decades and began with him writing letters to F1 teams whilst at university, offering his skills for free.
In this episode, James explores the core elements that distinguish a championship-winning team, with people and culture being paramount. He delves into the challenges faced during his career, including dealing with significant job losses, and why it’s crucial for him to earn his place within the team.
Offering a unique perspective into the F1 world, James details his experience managing the egos and expectations of generational talents including Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher. James also reveals his reason for leaving Mercedes at the top of their game to join Williams as Team Principal, sharing the difficulties of that transition and how he overcame them.
Achieving such consistent success demanded sacrifices; James reflects on how this has strained his relationships throughout his career, and whether he would make the same sacrifices if given the chance to do it all over again.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hi there you're listening to High Performance, the show that unlocks the minds of some of the most fascinating people on the planet. |
| 0:08.0 | I'm Jake Humphrey and alongside Damien Hughes, an expert in high-performing team cultures. |
| 0:14.4 | We learn from the stories, successes and struggles of our guests, |
| 0:18.1 | allowing us all to explore, be challenged, and to grow. |
| 0:22.2 | Here's what's coming up. |
| 0:23.2 | I think Formula One is not just the best sport in the world |
| 0:28.1 | but the best industry in the world because no other place can you challenge |
| 0:30.8 | yourself every week to the absolute limit to what you're capable of. |
| 0:36.3 | I didn't have anything else in my life. I didn't have family, I didn't have partners. |
| 0:40.3 | I think it was it was about work. If you are prepared to sacrifice everything you can have |
| 0:44.9 | greatness you can have growth you can have the direction of travel that there's no such |
| 0:51.1 | thing as all of it it It doesn't work that way. |
| 0:53.0 | I want to make sure that I'm earning my place. |
| 0:57.0 | This isn't a right. I have to earn it. |
| 0:59.0 | And I have to earn it every single day, break everything. |
| 1:02.0 | This is an opportunity you'll never have in your lifetime. |
| 1:05.4 | Break everything. Learn and use the experience. |
| 1:10.8 | So welcome to high performance, James Vowals, one of the unsung superstars of Formula One. |
| 1:17.0 | The Williams team principal has been in the world's fastest sport for almost 25 years. |
| 1:22.0 | In that time he's worked with five world champion |
| 1:24.4 | winning drivers including Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher. But how did he |
| 1:28.8 | make his Formula One dream a reality? How did he help Mercedes to those multiple titles? What were the keys to winning |
... |
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