Photo: Race Pictures

F1 team principal seals P1 in class on return to racing

11:23, 14 Dec

Updated: 11:33, 14 Dec

bySamson Ero

Williams Racing team principal James Vowles enjoyed a successful return to sports car racing, securing P1 in his class at the Gulf 12 Hours.

The 46-year-old took part in qualifying at the Yas Marina Circuit with Garage 59, driving the No. 8 McLaren 720S GT3.

Alongside co-drivers Alexander West, Marco Pulcini and Mark Sansom, Vowles claimed first place in class, fourth in the Pro-Am category and 13th overall at the Abu Dhabi event.

Williams Racing team boss, James Vowles - Photo: Race Pictures

Celebrating the result on X, the Williams team boss shared a carousel of images from the outing, accompanied by the caption:

“P1 in class, P4 in Pro-Am (without a pro!) and P13 overall for the team today out in Abu Dhabi. Well done, really strong qualifying and great laps from Alex, Mark and Marco 💪.”

“On a personal note, I was delighted to claim P2 in Group 1 of qualifying. Fastest bronze – good start, long way to go! Tomorrow will be tough, an eight-hour race with a second four-hour race, but we’re ready for the challenge 💪”

The outing for the 46-year-old, who earlier announced he was entering the race in the aftermath of the F1 season, marked his first sports car racing endeavour since his Asian Le Mans Series venture in 2022, when he drove for Garage 59 alongside Manuel Maldonado and Nicolai Kjaergaard.

Vowles on prolonged absence from GT3 racing

Earlier, Vowles admitted he wasn’t willing to commit to racing in GT3 until he considered his Formula 1 outfit to be in a solid place.

The British engineer, who was appointed team principal at Williams Racing, oversaw the team’s best outing in recent years, finishing fifth in the constructors’ standings with multiple podium finishes.

“What’s probably worth doing is winding back from that, which is, ‘Why am I doing this?’” he said via Sportscar365.

“Because it seems like an odd thing to do. There’s enough racing in my life. There are several things. One, I did GT3 racing in Asian Le Mans with this team, and I loved it. I learnt a lot from it,” he added.

“As I transitioned to Williams, I wanted Williams to be in a solid place so that I could afford to take a week out of it and really focus on something else. So that’s number one,” he concluded.