Williams clear: 'Don't think we want to follow a Haas model'

Dave Robson is looking forward to working with James Vowles in the future. Williams' Head of Vehicle Performance expects the new team boss to use his experience and qualities to take the team forward, with stability being one of the main goals.

Robson admits he does not yet know Vowles well. Although both men have been in the sport for about the same length of time and have seen each other from a distance, they have not yet established a relationship on a personal level. "When he arrives in a couple of weeks time we'll find out what he's got planned. He does bring a wealth of experience from Mercedes and it's previous incarnations. He knows what it takes to be at the top and staying at the top. He's very ambitious and clearly very smart. We're looking forward to getting him onboard," he told GPblog and others.

He expressed hope that the team's new leader has the answers to what is wrong within the formation. Among other things, Robson points to investments. "Although the regulations have improved in that regard, you're not going to undo the sheer amount of money the big teams have been spending for a decade. They've got that. Whether it's equipment or knowledge."

Relationship between Mercedes and Williams

With the bringing in of Vowles, Williams brings in a lot of Mercedes knowledge. However, Robson does not expect the relationship between Mercedes and Williams to increase in the coming years. "They provide us with some amount of hardware that is extremely good. But we need to take the rest of it forwards on our own, or at least be prepared to do that. We'll see what the future holds for 2026 when things get shaken up again. But I don't think we want to follow a Haas model."

Albon and Sargeant collaboration

Next season, Williams will start working with Alexander Albon and Logan Sargeant. Robson expects a lot from the first driver in particular, as he already has several years of experience in Formula 1. "He's not shy about telling us what he thinks. When he steps out of the car, he's quite a different character in the way he speaks and sounding much calmer. But what he is asking for is still the same."

He therefore feels that Albon has shown that he is well balanced as a driver and can help the team move forward. "He's demanding, don't worry about that. He knows what he wants and he's not shy to ask for it. There's not a problem there. What he needs is to be pushed on which we hope Logan will do."