03/06/2025 11:05
Williams team principal James Vowles has explained why he felt
compelled to apologise to Toto Wolff for the questionable tactics
employed during the recent Monaco Grand Prix. To secure a double
points-paying finish, Williams drivers Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon
backed up Mercedes duo George Russell and Kimi Antonelli. It was a
ploy that former Mercedes chief strategist Vowles did not want to
carry out, but felt he had no choice after witnessing the Racing
Bulls pair of Isack Hadjar and Liam Lawson do similar, effectively
sparking a chain reaction. Given his relationship with Wolff,
Vowles felt compelled to write a text message to Wolff apologising
for his actions, but ultimately making clear he was given no
choice. Wolff was understanding in his response. Asked whether
Wolff would have messaged him if the roles were reversed, Vowles
swerved away from a direct answer initially before explaining the
circumstances behind his message. "Almost, it doesn't matter what
he [Wolff] would have done," said Vowles, speaking to the media,
including RacingNews365 . "I'm here to win by designing, building
and operating a car better than anyone else, and that's not how we
score points in Monaco. "We score points in Monaco by holding up
all the cars outside and behind us. "For that matter, what I said
publicly, what the drivers said is, this isn't how we like to go
racing. "We will do it if we have to score points, but if I'm
significantly impacting on other people's races, and in this
instance, it was Mercedes straight behind us, as a sportsman, I
feel it's the correct thing to do. "It was a short message that
said, I'm gonna do it, you're not gonna like it."
