Vowles Sets Team Podium Challenge

James Vowles has challenged the team to improve ‘tens of thousands of details’ to make the leap from midfield frontrunners into podium contenders.

Reflecting on a successful weekend in Miami which yielded 12 points thanks to a fifth-place finish for Alex Albon and a P9 placing for Carlos Sainz, our Team Principal said he was ‘proud’ of the team’s development over the past two years — but was hungry for more.

In the latest edition of The Vowles Verdict, presented by Kraken, James also revealed Carlos suffered significant floor damage in Miami that held him back in the race — and gave an in-depth analysis of the radio confusion that generated so many headlines after the event.

Atlassian Williams Racing strengthened its grip on fifth place in the Constructors’ Championship with another points-scoring outing in the Sunshine State — the fifth race out of six that the team has bagged points.

But after securing a second fifth-place of the year, JV was asked what it will take to make the step onto the podium.

He said: "I'm proud of the fact that we have to world class drivers. I'm proud of the fact that the team over the last 24 months has been stepping every single area up in the bid to improve and move forward. But the last question really embraces who I am as an individual.

"How do we step it up to be on the podium? But following that? How do we step it up to win races and then finally, how do we step it to the right level to win championships. Each one of those steps, in my experience, is as difficult as the last. The step we've done now from the back to the front of the midfield is a very, very difficult one and it's not complete yet.

"The midfield is still very tight and there's going to be circuits that suit and don't suit our car as much. The step, though, into a podium position is a large way away from where we are now. So the first answer I can give you is — this is in my experience — it's never one thing. It is getting thousands or tens of thousands of details correct and incrementally improved across the board."

He added: "That's the message we have internally and we know what's in front of us. But I relish that change. I look forward to it because already I've seen this team step up in an incredible manner across the last 24 months, and we haven't slowed down yet."

James was also positive about the prospect of scoring more points over the coming triple-header, starting next weekend in Imola, saying he was ‘optimistic’ of more success.

And he set out how Alex and Carlos have worked closely with the team to analyse the radio messages that left Carlos frustrated in Miami — which you can see by watching the full video below.