Williams team principal James Vowles is considering an endurance race with his drivers Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon – and reveals what inspired him to come up with this idea.
Williams team principal James Vowles has expressed interest in participating in an endurance race together with his two Formula 1 drivers, Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon.
The Briton completed a two-day GT3 test in the McLaren 720S GT3 Evo at the Circuito de Navarra in Spain between the Italian and Azerbaijan Grands Prix. “It was two fantastic days on a very technical track, mostly in dry conditions,” Vowles said afterwards on social media.
“I was with Garage 59, a team with which I have a long history. I was a little rusty at the beginning, but very happy with the progress at the end. I had to put my engineering mindset aside and just focus on driving. Every second of it was fun,” said the team boss.
When asked why he chose to test with McLaren rather than Mercedes, Williams’ engine partner, Vowles replied on Sky Sports F1: “I’ve worked with Mercedes before, but I don’t have a direct connection there. McLaren is a car that suits me very well to drive, and I’ve been driving regularly with this team for three or four years now.”
Last weekend, Max Verstappen made headlines when he clinched victory on his GT3 debut at the Nürburgring Nordschleife. Vowles was also impressed, but emphasized that he himself would probably not compete on this track. Instead, he could imagine competing in an endurance race together with Sainz and Albon.
“The Nordschleife won’t be for me, even though Verstappen did something extraordinary there. My goal is to drive more again and complete more test days. I haven’t competed against professionals in a GT3 car for several years,” said Vowles.
The team boss also confirmed that Sainz and Albon have no restrictions in their contracts: “In principle, it’s possible and definitely on the agenda. However, you have to take into account that we already have 24 weekends a year, plus test drives. Additional commitments would therefore only make sense if the drivers themselves express this wish. If that’s the case, we’ll find a way.”
