James Vowles says he was prohibited from taking Mercedes personnel with him to Williams. Mercedes’ former strategy boss succeeded the ousted Jost Capito to become Williams’ new team principal this year. He defends the decline on the basis that Williams was in “survival mode for years”. You think about what you have to do tomorrow to get through the day,” said Vowles, 43. “But that’s not just the case between Mercedes and me – anyone who leaves a team cannot simply take people with them. “We are discussing this now with the FIA, Formula 1 and the other teams,” Vowles admitted.

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