Vowles Highlights Progress After Points Boost in China

Atlassian Williams Racing Team Principal James Vowles has reflected on matching our 2024 points tally following the 2025 Chinese Grand Prix. While proud of the achievement, he remains fully focused on the work still to be done, as the team continues its journey towards the 2026 regulation change.

“It feels great to have equalled last year’s points tally – but it also serves as a reminder of how few points we scored in 2024,” Vowles admitted in The Vowles Verdict, presented by Kraken. “It also tells me it’s a very close fight in the Championship. We still have work to do, but that’s the journey we’re on.”

With an eye on future improvements, Vowles emphasised the importance of finding every possible fraction of performance within the car. “There’s lots to look forward to in 2026 and beyond, but for now, we have to keep finding every millisecond we can in this car.”

Vowles also praised Williams’ driver pairing, recognising their critical role in the team’s progress. “I’m fortunate to have two world-class drivers in this team. Carlos is the last individual in this team that has won a grand prix, and he knows what it means to perform at the pinnacle of this sport.”

He stressed the team’s responsibility to support Sainz’s adaptation to his new environment. “We have a duty and responsibility to make sure we adapt the car as he becomes more comfortable in our car and environment to make sure we’re performing together.

“What’s great is the world can see that Alex is absolutely brilliant, but both will be fighting for points very shortly.”

Williams’ strong showing in China was bolstered by a post-race triple disqualification that awarded the team double points hours after the chequered flag. Despite the delayed confirmation, Vowles insisted the outcome did not diminish his pride in the team’s performance.

“I’m proud of our team because whilst we are trying to extract everything from the car as possible, we are getting those fundamentals fairly right,” he explained. “But you can see that going forward, we need to just keep eking out and finding performance from this package whilst not losing focus on our future. And that's a tough balance to hold.

“But no, it didn’t take the edge off. It gave me happiness that Carlos got his first point, and Alex was rewarded for what I thought was a great race.”

Reflecting on the team’s technical development, Vowles highlighted the team’s approach to ensuring competitiveness across all 24 circuits on the calendar.

“What we have been doing as a team is evolving the car to not be strong at just one particular track, but rather able to deal with all 24 in a season, because that's how you move up in a constructors’ battle,” he noted.

However, he acknowledged there is still work to be done to ensure the car remains competitive in all conditions. “At the moment, it looks like we still have work to do in some aspects. You saw in the Sprint race in Shanghai, a limited race, we were worse than others, so we have work to do to get there.”

To hear more from James as he breaks down the team’s latest performance and plans for the future, watch the full episode of The Vowles Verdict now.