Vowles and Cowell pay tribute to Wolff: « Without his advice, I would have collapsed »

James Vowles, a former Mercedes team member

Before becoming the team director at Williams in 2023, James Vowles was the strategy director at Mercedes, after holding various key positions in engineering and strategy at Mercedes, Brawn GP, Honda, and BAR.

Asked during the Monaco Grand Prix weekend about the influence of Toto Wolff’s leadership style on his own approach, James Vowles – sitting next to Toto Wolff at a press conference – answered: « Toto just joked by saying “everything,” but it’s not a joke. It’s really that. »

« A decade or a dozen years ago, Toto took me under his wing and gradually gave me more and more responsibilities in the organization, confronting me with the difficulties he manages daily — but in a supervised and positive way. »

« I would be sunk without his expertise and advice. That’s where he excels, even though he’s modest and doesn’t talk about it much. »

« There was a little-known moment when we spent a week together at his place in Austria—it’s one of the best weeks of my life. You experience incredible things when learning under the guidance of Toto », he explains.

Andy Cowell shares his opinion

Andy Cowell, for his part, made similar comments when discussing his time at Mercedes. He was director of high-performance engine engineering from 2008 to 2013, before becoming managing director of Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains.

After leaving the organization in 2020, Andy Cowell returned to F1 in 2024 as CEO of Aston Martin, then was appointed team principal in 2025. “During my time at Mercedes, I learned a lot from Toto,” he explained.

« I also learned from Niki Lauda and Ola Källenius. At Mercedes, you come across incredible personalities, and we try to take the best from each to move forward.

Toto Wolff responds

Toto Wolff, for his part, took a moment to reflect on the qualities he had noticed in Cowell and Vowles during their years together at Mercedes, believing that both already showed potential as leaders.

« Andy was one of the best managers I have ever seen, across all sectors. He had both the human touch and technical expertise. »

« We often joked: when we had an engine problem, Andy would put his fingers directly in the pistons or the cylinder head, even on a Saturday after qualifying. I would always ask him: ‘Are your nails dirty?’ — that meant he had everything under control on the engine side. »

« And James… James could have been a team director at Mercedes if I hadn’t been there. I was in his way. He chose another path, and he’s doing very well, as we can see. »

A friendly exchange between team principals that proves that despite adversity, friendly relationships can exist in Formula 1.