Yesterday at 09:15
Williams team principal James Vowles insists the disparity in F1
power unit performance next year will not be at "2014 levels" as he
moved to "alleviate people's fears" on the matter. As the
championship heads towards the dawn of a new era, which includes
all-new engines for the first time in over a decade, there has been
considerable concern that one team — or power unit — will dominate,
as Mercedes did at the last regulations change. Vowles, whose
Williams team is a customer of the Brackley-based squad, revealed
there is currently an "open dialogue" to lay contingency plans for
"what if" scenarios that may arise next season. Earlier in the
year, FIA single-seater director Nikolas Tombazis explained the
motorsport governing body had "introduced a programme for this that
we call 'additional development opportunities for performance
gaps'," in case one power unit provider falls behind the
development curve. Nonetheless, Vowles, who was at Mercedes in
2014, when the Silver Arrows began its run of eight consecutive F1
constructors' championships and unceremoniously blew away the
competition for the first three campaigns of that rules set,
believes it will be "a lot closer" than 12 years prior. Williams
also benefited from Mercedes' crushing dominance during the period.
The Grove team was supplied by the German manufacturer at that
stage, too, and scored nine podiums en route to third in the
standings that year — a result it replicated in 2015. Speaking to
media, including RacingNews365 , the Briton said: "I don't think
this is going to be 2014 levels at all. "I think it'll be a lot
closer than that — just to alleviate people's fears. "But more than
that, we're already having open dialogue now at this stage of 'what
if?' "What if a power unit manufacturer is ahead or behind — how do
we make sure? "Because we do recognise… We are a sport, but we're
also here for the racing, and... making sure that we are racing
each other on a very similar wavelength. So, watch this space."
