Toto Wolff said he will be sad but proud to wave goodbye to Mercedes chief strategist James Vowles as he prepares to leave for Williams.
Vowles has been given the Williams team principal job in the wake of the surprise departure of Jost Capito in December. He will officially begin his new role on February 20th, just a few days before the start of testing and two weeks before the first race of the year.
Wolff is losing one of his top lieutenants as a result, but said he could not stand in the way of Vowles and the opportunity he has been given. "James has been a highly valued member of our team in his role as motorsport strategy director, playing an integral part in our success in recent years," the Austrian said.
"Having worked with him since I first joined the team in 2013, I know how diligent, capable and talented he is and have taken great satisfaction from watching James develop and grow over the past decade.
"Since stepping back from the pit wall mid-season last year, he has continued to build the capability of our strategy team at Brackley, and we have a fantastic group of talented strategists who will continue their superb work in the years to come.
"While we are naturally sad to be saying goodbye to such a capable member of the team, I have no doubts whatsoever that he has all the necessary skills to become a fantastic team principal in F1. We wish him every success and are delighted that he will take this next step in his career with Williams, a strong technical partner of ours and one that has a place close to my own heart."
Vowles brings a wealth of winning experience in F1, having played a key part in Mercedes' dominance over the last decade. Prior to that, he also worked for the Brawn GP team which won both titles in 2009.
He will need to draw on all that experience and everything he has learned under Wolff as he takes on a sizeable challenge at Williams. The once-great team has been struggling for years and is coming off the back of one of their worst seasons ever.
Matthew Savage, chairman of team owners Dorilton Capital, said of Vowles: "As we continue our relentless pursuit for results, we believe that the appointment of James reinforces our dedication to ensuring we have energetic, experienced, and strong leadership as we move into the next phase of transforming Williams Racing."
