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According to Vowles, Hamilton’s shock departure will inevitably be a blow to Mercedes, but he believes all parties will emerge stronger.
“I actually think it’s good for the sport,” he said at the launch of Williams’ livery for 2024. “It will be good for Lewis because he will learn from it and challenge himself.
“It’s not good for Mercedes in the short term, but I actually think they will see that they will be absolutely fine in terms of where they go with the drivers.”
“They have a solid lineup that they can choose from. As a result, they will come back stronger. So, ultimately, it’s a good thing that will come with time.”
James Vowles, Director of Motorsport Strategy, Mercedes AMG F1, and Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes AMG F1, 1st position, on the podium
Photo by: Steve Etherington / motor sports images
While the timing of Hamilton’s decision was unexpected, Vowles says he’s not surprised Hamilton was ready to step out of his comfort zone at Mercedes and change scenery.
“I spoke to him at the weekend, it was a difficult decision for him,” he said when asked further by Motorsport.com. “First of all, it has been his and his family’s home for many years.
“And it’s the same as any of us when we’re going to change organizations and move somewhere else. It makes you tear up inside, but he wants to prove himself and prove to the world that he can get through one of the hardest things.” What you ever do, which is transition to a new organization, and still be successful. And there was probably one chance left in his career to prove it, and I completely understand why.”
“What a new story it was. I don’t know about you guys, but I definitely didn’t see it coming,” Albon said. “But good for him. I think he wants that change. The timing is obviously more awkward because it’s the week before all the teams make their announcements.
“It just shows you how great Lewis is, seeing Ferrari’s stock go up so much and seeing the general perception of the news.
“It was definitely one of those pinch-me moments for me, like ‘Is this a true story?’
“There were so many rumors over the winter that you didn’t know what had credibility or not. And the Ferrari one definitely seemed like a rumor to me at the beginning of the story, and then it turned out to be real.
“It reminds us of the Messi-Miami transfer and simply shows the appetite for Formula 1. It also leaves many questions in the driver market and opens them up.”