“I don't want to be like him”: Former Mercedes director James Vowles wants to create a different identity from Toto Wolff

Former Mercedes director James Vowles wants to establish his own identity with his new team Williams. Vowles said that he still maintains a close relationship with former boss Toto Wolff, but asserted that he doesn't "want to be like him."

The 43-year-old was appointed as the Williams team principal in January after a highly successful stint with the Silver Arrows, where Wolff helped shape him into a shrewd strategist.

While the Briton has certainly learned a lot under Wolff, he wants to establish a new identity at Williams.

Speaking about his relationship with the Mercedes team principal, Vowles said:

"He and I have had a working relationship for - I'm thinking about how long it was, but probably twelve years. And you don't just let go of a relationship like that overnight. But I have very good relationships with most of the team bosses in the paddock."

He continued:

"I had a discussion with him once, and he asked me my view of things. And I explained to him very clearly that I'm different from him. And that's fine, too. I don't want to be like him. I want to have my own independent thoughts. That's what the strengths of both of us are."

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Red Bull far ahead of Mercedes, claims team boss

Toto Wolff has claimed that the gap between Mercedes and Red Bull has significantly widened this season, potentially doubling or even tripling compared to 2022.

Mercedes had a disappointing start to the 2023 F1 season in Bahrain as their car was the fourth fastest on the grid, trailing behind Red Bull, Ferrari and Aston Martin.

Lewis Hamilton had a lackluster performance, finishing fifth with no chance of competing for a spot on the podium. Meanwhile, the team's second driver, George Russell, fared even worse, finishing in seventh place.

Following the race, Wolff had a pessimistic outlook and described it as the worst performance of his racing career. In response to questions from the media, including Sportskeeda, about the team's plan of action, Wolff said:

"That’s a good question and we will tackle it straight at the beginning of the week. When you look at where we were at the end of the season, where it seemed like we caught up a lot and it was just matter of which circuits suited us and which not. I think we’ve almost doubled, if not tripled [the deficit], to get to Red Bull. This is what we need to look at."

It remains to be seen whether Mercedes will be able to return to the top of the grid anytime soon.