James Vowles recently shared a lighthearted moment involving Lewis Hamilton and Toto Wolff during a track outing, highlighting the camaraderie among team principals in Formula 1. Vowles, the head of Williams Racing, opted not to release footage of Hamilton laughing at both him and Wolff, poking fun at their driving skills.

Vowles, who transitioned from Mercedes to Williams in 2023, has a rich background in racing. He has competed in the Asian Le Mans Series and has valuable insights into a driver’s mindset. His experience includes exploring GT racing while Mercedes and Red Bull were in a fierce competition on the F1 circuit.

“I won my class in the saloon championship, so that’s not a bad feat – a good tick to the CV,” Vowles said to F1.com.

“Then I had the opportunity to get into GT4 and GT3 racing in ’21 and ’22, and ’23 was a little bit of it as well. When you win that, it’s serious. Now you’re talking serious money, serious investment, serious races as well. I loved it!

“There were a few teams that very much looked after me and a few manufacturers that very much looked after me, but it was a mutual relationship. I was able to bring something [from my experience in the F1 world] that others weren’t, which was an understanding of the engineering, the data and the strategy as well, to a certain extent.”

During a recent outing in Austin, the trio had a chance to bond over their driving experiences. Vowles expressed enthusiasm for a potential race among team principals, suggesting it would be entertaining and chaotic, given the competitive nature of those involved. He acknowledged that the event would likely result in some damaged cars, emphasizing the fun and unpredictability of such a race.

“Here’s what it is… You feel alone in the car, really alone. Your visual of the world is what’s happening 200 meters in front of you and 200 meters behind you, if you’re lucky. So, you’re reliant on a voice, an engineer, to give you insight into the world at all times. I’m not of the skill and caliber anywhere near any of these individuals in the paddock, so I doubted myself. When you’re doing this, you would do.

“You have to earn your wings and you have to earn your place. A very particular moment came in Abu Dhabi when I went out with new tires, in equivalent conditions to a number of other teams, and I did a lap time that was as fast as my teammate on the other side of the garage, who’s a really strong racer. I didn’t know that at the time… All I realized on track was that I wasn’t being overtaken.

“I came back in and it was celebration from the team, because it was a switch moment. It’s only when you come back in again that you realize, actually, you are in the right place, you do have the ability, and that’s what being a racing driver is. You are so reliant on your belief in yourself that you do need others to provide you that strength, because you’ll lose it at times.”

Overall, Vowles’s reflections on his racing journey and the lighthearted interactions with Hamilton and Wolff illustrate the unique dynamics within the F1 community, blending competition with camaraderie.

“I am all for it [team principal race].

“I think it would be fascinating. As you can probably imagine, Toto and myself have had a few opportunities on the track together, and it’s been so much fun. On one occasion in Austin Lewis [Hamilton] was there as well, and I can’t release the footage to you, but all you hear is him laughing inside the car.

“I think with the accolades that Toto has behind him, that Christian has behind him, that Zak has behind him… You’d have great fun. I think I’d have a good run of it. What’s going to happen, though, is it’s going to be carnage. You realize that none of those cars will come back with four wheels… If you think it’s competitive racing [in F1], watch this!”