James Vowles: I don’t believe in failure

In Brazil, Williams team boss James Vowles spoke about the end of the season and the future of Franco Colapinto…

Question: James, what do you remember from your previous visits to Interlagos?
James Vowles: Here I won the individual title for the first time with Jenson Button. Many championships have been won in Brazil and all the results come together for this fantastic race of the season. And that’s exactly what happened that weekend. I will remember this for the rest of my life.

Question: Williams has been performing poorly recently – in three races the team has only managed one point. How do you currently assess the car’s potential?
James Vowles: We have the opportunity to earn points every weekend, but in the middle group the competition is extremely tight. In Mexico, four or five teams were separated by 30-40 milliseconds. In such a competitive environment it is important to do everything right. Our car has speed, we are angry that it is not always possible to demonstrate that.

There was a racing incident in Mexico. There’s nothing to be done about it. At the start, three cars attacked where only two could fit. And this was the second incident after the first training. You put all this back.

It’s a pity that we were not able to achieve the maximum in the past two Grand Prix. But the car has speed and this is a good basis for further work.

Q: So Williams is just out of luck?
James Vowles: I don’t believe in failure or bad luck. I really don’t believe it. Happiness is the result of work. I’m having a hard time coming to terms with what happened in Mexico, but I think it’s our job to… come to terms with it. We have a fast car. You just have to perform as well as possible and the points will come automatically.

Question: The Alpine team is your biggest rival in the Constructors’ Championship, there are only three points between you. Who do you think has the fastest car right now?
James Vowles: Sometimes they perform great. In the last stages Pierre was very good in qualifying, but in the races we always managed to stay ahead of them. I think we are doing well with the most important indicator, with race pace. We are faster, but the difference is small.

Question: Franco Colapinto continues to perform well from race to race, but there are no vacancies in your team for next season. How do you assess the situation?
James Vowles: When you look at his performances in Mexico and Austin, it’s easy to forget that he only spent a few races with us in Formula 1, but that’s the way it is. As you know, all great racers continue to grow and develop. You don’t finish your training in four or five races, he still has a lot to do.

Together with representatives from other teams, we are investigating possible options for Franco for next season. I have nothing more to say and there is no point in speculating on this subject. If there are any specifics, I would be happy to talk about them, because he is an exceptional driver.

Look outside. Tens of thousands of people came to support the driver, who has already participated in our championship for five races. He’s doing great on the court. And as I said from the beginning: earn your place, everything else will work itself out.

But beyond that, especially considering he’s only 21, I feel a responsibility to him to make sure we get everything right.

Q: What are your thoughts on the progress made on the 2026 regulations? What else can be improved?
James Vowles: The FIA ​​​​and the teams have done a lot of work and have come to a solution that suits everyone better. This was a result of the way all the teams came together with the FIA ​​to arrive at these regulations. That’s why everything happened so quickly.

Question: Today we saw Christian Horner leaving Williams’ camper. Was this a meeting about Franco Colapinto?
James Vowles: We recently signed with a new coffee sponsor and he was very excited to try it out. Most of the conversation was devoted to this. He liked it.

Q: How do you feel when you come to any track, any track and the fans welcome Franco Colapinto, especially here in Sao Paulo where there are a lot of Argentinians?
James Vowles: First of all, I’m proud. I’m really proud of Franco. We haven’t been working together as long as other young riders, but for quite some time. And I’ve seen how much he’s grown over the past two years. I’m happy to see his fans. Argentina has gone through a very difficult period. It’s great to see how an entire country responds to someone doing something great in sports.

Question: When will Franco Colapinto’s future be determined?
James Vowles: It’s difficult to set a deadline when multiple teams are involved in the negotiations. But I’m sure we will decide before the last race of the season.