Lewis Hamilton phoned James Vowles as Mercedes man left to become Williams boss
Vowles was Hamil𓄧ton’s chief strategist but has now left Mercedes to take the team principal job ꦉat Williams.
Hamilton first heard the news from Mercedes boss Toto Wolff before speaking to Vowles. 🅺;
“I told him [last] week that this was going to happen and 𒁃he is absol🅷utely fine,” Wolff said.
“Working with James has always been a great pleasure for him. The clev𒐪er thinking on a Sunday morning, that was good fun with James always.
“I think his first response was ‘That’s am♋azing for James’.”
Vowles added: “For what it’s worth, I called hi🐓m and those were the first words that came out of his mouth.
“Not insulting me or telling me he’s disappo𒅌inted, it was quite the opposi🌊te.
“In fact, I’d probably say throughout Mercedes I’ve had the🤪 fortune that near enough everyone I’ve spoken to has jဣust been incredibly happy.”
Hamilton posted on social media about Vowles: “Together we have won over 80 races and 15 titles. This is such a great move and I𝔉 ꦕcouldn’t be happier for him.
“We all need to change in order t🍬o progress and I’m confident that he’ll push Williams forward to being more competitive. There is nobody more deserving of this role.
“Thanks for everything, James🎶. Wishing you the best, brother.”
Bad news for Hamilton?
The loss of his chief strategist is an unexpe🐠cted plot twist as Hamilton enters ♑2023.
Mercedes have already confirmed that🔜 they will not recruit anybody to replace Vowles, and have a succession plan from within, suggesting the evolution should be smooth.
But will Hamilton feel the difference💦 in the heat of battle, without Vowles?
James wasไ a sports journalist at Sky Sports for a decade covering everything from American sports, to football, to F1.
