When James Vowles left Mercedes to take up the position as team principal at Williams, many F1 observers believed the iconic British F1 racing team would become a satellite of its much larger German operation. Yet Williams is no longer dependent on cash from other Formula One teams to fund their budget and in return accept a junior driver from another organisations academy.

James Bower who is the commercial director for the Grove based team stated last week that Williams now have enough funds from sponsors to spend up to the budget cap limit- something they’ve never done in previous years.

In addition Vowles revealed in Monaco the team were spending “100’s of millions” developing their ageing facilities and equipment in an attempt to build the kind of infrastructure that the top teams possess. Ferrari for years used Sauber as a satellite operation, going them engines on the cheap so long as they selected a driver lineup to suit Ferrari’s future ambitions and Mercedes did the same thing when George Russell was promoted from GP2 into Formula One.

 

 

 

Mercedes hand forced

The Mercedes team dominated the sport for years with Lewis Hamilton and his first partner Nico Rosberg, then Valterri Bottas until George Russell was promoted from Williams alongside the seven times world champion. The German marque has a serious junior racing programme, but not needing a driver for their F1 outfit meant the final step on the ladder for an up a coming driver was permanently blocked.

George Russell was finally a product of that programme and now Kimi Antonelli is widely touted to debut next year in F1. The young Italian driver like Verstappen has skipped the traditional junior formula ladder and jumped straight into F2 this season. Antonelli’s results this year have not been astonishing, but he has a team mate by the name of Oliver Bearman, who deputised for Carlos Sainz in Jeddah when the Spanish driver required emergency surgery.

Bearman was voted driver of the day at the Saudi Arabian GP due to him scoring points and bringing his Ferrari home ahead of fair more experienced drivers like Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris. Antonelli is in P6 in the F2 drivers’ title race but his team mate who has F1 experience now is languishing in P13.

Wolff spoke on team radio to Russell about his driving in Montreal

 

 

 

Two academy drivers for Brackley 2025

Since Lewis Hamilton filed for divorce with his life long sponsor Mercedes to move to Italy next year, the debate over who would rep[lace him has raged. Carlos Sainz is the big name out their who has no driver for next season and it appeared Toto Wolff would have liked the Spanish driver to fill in for a season until Antonelli had matured further.

The plan was to place Antonelli with Williams for a season and then move him up to the works outfit alongside George Russell in 2026. This was safer way to blood the young Italian given the big new engine and aero regulations coming in 2026, it may take all the driver some time in getting used to. So if Antonelli struggled, he’d not be alone.

Yet James Vowles who many thought wold be Toto’s lap dog at Williams has decided enough is enough and the team he is developing will plough their own furrow. Of course Mercedes supply the power unit to Williams and in days off yore a discount here and there wold mean the world to the struggling Grove outfit.

Yet in the last month, Williams commercial director, James Bower, revealed for the first time ever, the team for the moment have enough sponsorship to spend up to the cost cap and are not taking any more partners on board for the near future. Further, James Vowels claimed in Montreal, they are spending “hundreds of millions” on capital items to replace the ageing premises, equipment and other defunct machinery.

BREAKING: Hamilton’s successor confirmed

 

 

 

Vowels rejects Antonelli

Also Vowles stated very aggressively, according to Kahn Chandhok, that Carlos Sainz was his number one target for next season. Publicly outlining why his Williams team is the best option the Spaniard has left, now Sergio Perez is firmed up for another two seasons at Red Bull.

Sources cited in the Italian media claim the Sainz deal with Williams is now “90%” done, which of course will close the door to Wolff and Mercedes on the route they hoped to bring Antonelli into F1. Yet in some bizarre twist of fate, Antonelli’s F1 journey with Mercedes could last for just one season.

Max Verstappen has been unhappy with his Red Bull team this year and suggested there were certain circumstances which could see him leave the team before his contract expires in 2028. Toto Wolff has openly courted the triple world champion and with new engine regulations on the horizon, it could be Mercedes become dominant again as they did last time the power units were switched up.

While Jacques Villeneuve claimed in Montreal that bringing Antonelli in alongside Russell next season was an “ego based decision” by Toto Wolff, the young F2 star will find his way onto the F1 grid at some point.

F1 replays now banned in France

 

 

 

Russell at risk?

Yet the headache on the horizon for the Mercedes chief may work out differently than just a one year contract for Antonelli. The choice will be between Antonelli and Russell were Verstappen to arrive in Brackley and who knows how the young Italian will fare against Russell who has “smashed” Lewis Hamilton this season, according to Jamie Chadwick, so the task will not be easy for the new Kimi – whichever way it works out.

The Antonelli deal will see Mercedes field two of their academy graduates in F1 2025, for the first time since they returned to the sport as a works outfit. If Verstappen is available for 2026, then Toto who is struggling to attract other drivers, will have a different problem on his hands, because 3 into 2 does not go.

Yet the big story is Williams ditching their junior driver relationship with Mercedes and who knows they may become competitors on track soon as the team headed up by Vowels is improving as the season progresses.

Red Bull under fire from McLaren CEO

 

 

 

Mercedes on Red Bull.. “It will really F**k them u

The old ‘enemies’ were at it again when Formula One rolled into Montreal last weekend. Words were exchanged in the long-running battle between the arch-rivals which formed during the years of Mercedes’s dominance.

Then when the tables turned following the FIA 2022 car design regulations the tables were turned and it was Red Bull who were on top. During that season, Mercedes had poorly designed their suspension and the car was bouncing such that :ewis’ Hamilton could barely extract himself from the W13 following the chequered flag at the Azerbaijan Grind Prix… READ MORE