Vowles Eyes Performance to Lure New F1 Partners

Carlos Sainz’s move to Williams F1 is set to open new doors for sponsorships, enhancing the team’s appeal.

James Vowles is confident that Carlos Sainz’s arrival next year will enhance the commercial potential of Williams F1. The team principal doesn’t expect an immediate influx of sponsors, but believes it will increase the team’s appeal.

“The real commercial advantage for any Formula 1 team lies in performance,” Vowles stated. “If you make your car faster, or if you have drivers who push your car, or drivers who push each other, it brings solutions for the championship and for sponsorship revenues.”

“It’s fundamentally the secret to managing a Formula 1 team. You have to treat it like a startup. You need to invest your resources in a driver, or two drivers, in fact, whom you know will advance the team.”

“It’s not as though, overnight, the phone rings and someone offers you 20 million. It doesn’t work like that. But this is part of the journey we must undertake.”

A philosophy that “will lead to greater success”

According to him, the presence of the Spanish driver could be a decisive factor for brands: “What I can say is that we have existing sponsors with whom we’ve been discussing for six months. And for them, signing Carlos may or may not have been the trigger that prompted them to cross the line.”

“But it’s not as if you suddenly take all your contracts and opt for a percentage, fundamentally. What this shows to sponsors is the message we’ve been conveying. They know a little more than you, for obvious reasons, they’re part of our journey.”

“And they joined us a bit earlier than Carlos. But they can now see that when you share this information with others, they join the journey, too. And actually, for me, that’s what’s most important.”

He reminds that Williams is now primarily focused on performance, which helps to enhance the image of the entire structure: “You wonder why Carlos committed. He knows more than you, he sees it, and he believes in it. And that’s the main thing.”

“I’ve been consistent with this message. And the sponsors are the same. It won’t change everything overnight, but it will lead to more success in the future. I’m convinced of that. But it’s a performance-driven aspect.”