James Vowles, the former Motorsport Strategy Director at Mercedes shares his observations on the contrasting styles of George Russell and his Formula 1 teammate Lewis Hamilton.
Vowles, the current Team Principal for the Williams F1 team, was once viewed as a potential successor to Toto Wolff as the Mercedes team principal.
The 43-year-old played a pivotal role in Mercedes’ extraordinary dominance in Formula One from 2014 to 2021 before taking on his leadership role at Williams at the start of the current F1 campaign.
During this remarkable period, the team secured an unprecedented eight consecutive constructors’ championships and celebrated seven drivers’ titles, achieved by the likes of Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg.
Vowles’ contributions were instrumental in shaping Mercedes’ remarkable journey of success in the world of motorsport.
Having closely worked with Lewis Hamilton and George Russell during the 2022 F1 campaign at Mercedes, Vowles acknowledges that Russell brings a unique dynamic to the team. As he witnessed Russell’s impressive journey through the ranks of motorsport.
Vowles noticed distinct differences between the young British driver and the seven-time World Champion Hamilton.
“Lewis has such an amount of natural talent. But his work… every year, he steps it up. What he did last year was not good enough for the following year, ” Vowles told the Sky Sports F1 Podcast.
“That’s the definition of F1. George was a talent I’ve known for many years and really grew up into who he is today. He has such potential in front of him. He’s very different to Lewis,” he added.
According to James Vowles, there are valuable insights to be gained from the distinctive approaches that each driver brings to their craft.
He believes that both George Russell and Lewis Hamilton offer unique perspectives and techniques that can serve as valuable lessons in the world of motorsport.
“It’s not so much one preference or otherwise, they all bring something different to the table, but [are] successful as a result of it,” he explained.
“It’s more learning from each of them as individuals as to what makes them tick and what makes them grow.
“What they all have in common is they are all World Champions or future World Champions. That same dedication for going after every millisecond is inherent in all of them.”
