On the “Up To Speed” podcast, Williams team principal James Vowles explains how Michael Schumacher inspired him during his time at Mercedes
If Williams team principal James Vowles is to be believed, Michael Schumacher has had a significant influence on the way the engineer runs a racing team. Vowles discusses this in an episode of the “Up To Speed” podcast.
“I was fortunate enough to work with Michael,” explains the 47-year-old. The engineer has been active in Grand Prix racing since 2001 and got his start at British American Racing.
After stints with the Honda factory team and Brawn GP, the Brackley-based team was set to become the Mercedes factory team starting in 2010. This move was followed by Schumacher’s hiring and the first collaboration between the seven-time world champion and the team’s future head of strategy.
“He really inspired me back then,” says Vowles. “In the car, he was a completely different person. Unfortunately, I remember 1996 and 1997, but outside the car, he completely changed the sport.”
In the mid-90s, Schumacher was the biggest threat in the cockpit to the technical superiority of the Williams cars of that era. Driving for both Benetton and Ferrari, the Kerpen native managed—often in inferior equipment—to compete on equal footing with drivers like David Coulthard, Jacques Villeneuve, and Damon Hill.
“For him, every day was all about: How can we get better?” explains Vowles in the podcast. “How do we use video analysis, data, and technology? And why aren’t we looking at this or working on that aspect behind the scenes?”
“He was,” says Vowles, “in many ways the originator of the idea: ‘Let’s develop this further and change it.’”
The seven-time world champion’s unwavering work ethic is always emphasized. Ross Brawn and Willi Weber often share stories about Schumacher’s attention to detail and his tenacity.
Vowles saw these qualities not only in the Kerpen native but later also in Lewis Hamilton. “He had other qualities as well,” the engineer concluded, speaking of Schumacher, “but you take something from everyone who has inspired you in your life.”
Among these people, the Williams team principal counts David Richards, Ross Brawn, and Toto Wolff, among others. While Wolff remains team principal at Mercedes to this day, Richards and Brawn were previously in charge of the team in Brackley.
Vowles discussed Schumacher’s other qualities in 2025 on the “High Performance” podcast. For instance, the former Mercedes driver recalled the birthday of the current Williams team principal’s partner. “That totally embarrassed me because I hadn’t even thought of it myself,” he explains in the podcast.
The 91-time Grand Prix winner knew how to strengthen his bond with his team on a personal level. That, too, continues to influence Vowles in his work as team principal to this day.
