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F1 pundit Joe Saward claimed that the future of James Vowles as Williams F1 team boss is not 'under threat' as insinuated by former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher.
It has been a tough start to the season for Williams F1 team as they have failed to score any points in the four completed races. Moreover, it is worrying for them to have a heavy crash bill against their name as both of their drivers have been involved in high-profile crashes in the past two races.
The lack of a spare chassis and Alex Albon and Logan Sargeant's crashes have put a strain on the 2024 season for the Grove-based team. Speaking with Sky Germany, Ralf Schumacher said of James Vowles:
"I think Vowles has to look after himself a bit now...I wouldn't be surprised that he's not necessarily on the owner's bestseller list."
However, F1 pundit Joe Saward quickly dismissed any such reports of James Vowles heading to a possible exit as he pointed out that Ralf Schumacher might be taking revenge for Williams overlooking his nephew Mick Schumacher, adding:
"I don't think anyone will pay much attention to Ralf. I spoke to Williams bosses in Japan and they were fully behind Vowles. Williams probably turned down Mick and this is Uncle Ralf's idea of revenge..."
James Vowles chimes in on the impact of the recent damages on the 2024 season
James Vowles accepted that the recent damage bill would have an impact on the performance of the car as it would hamper the team's progress to build upgrades with the budget cap taking a significant hit.
Speaking with F1TV after the Japanese GP, the Williams team boss reflected:
“To have three major accidents, where you’ve pretty much taken out all the equipment out of the car, is enormous. Taking that across the season, you can deal with it.
"Taking across just a few races is difficult. And the impact of it would be what you expect. We’re making spares quickly in the background but ultimately, performance will have an impact on it.”
It looks highly unlikely that the Grove-based team could produce a spare chassis for the Miami GP given the setbacks they have faced in the last two races.
It would be quite impressive if they could turn around their season and compete with RB and Haas for P6 in the Constructor's Championship at the end of 2024.
