“You have to be in charge of your own destiny” - Williams boss hints at a future away from Mercedes

With the new era of Formula 1 power units set to begin in 2026, Williams team boss James Vowles has stated that the team will decide on their next engine supplier this year.

Williams have used Mercedes power since the turbo-hybrid era began in 2014. New engine regulations are set to come into play in 2026, the same year German automotive giants Audi will enter F1 along with Ford, who are partnering with Red Bull Racing to build a new F1 engine.

Williams' long-standing relationship with Mercedes aside, Vowles has confirmed that the team has not yet decided whether to continue with the Silver Arrows' power units in 2026. He said (formu1a):

“Clearly, we’re happy with the relationship that’s been in place for many years. Mercedes have produced really, fundamentally, the best on-average power unit across certainly the last 15 years, and… where we are at the moment, certainly with Mercedes and other OEMs [original equipment manufacturers], is we’re reviewing as we have to, and we need to ensure we review the marketplace and make decisions on that shortly, about where we are in terms of relationships.”

The Brit confirmed that a decision will be made no later than this year, as teams will struggle in the future if they do not. He stated:

“It has to be this year, anyway. From where all teams will move forward, I think you’ll struggle to see teams migrate away from their current [supplier] much [later than] than this year.”

He added:

“To win championships, you look at who’s won it; typically it's OEM and you need to be manufacturer-backed… and that’s the difficult pathway that we have to fight on the way. I think for now, we have a realistic target on our shoulders.

"We know that step one, with what we have right now, we have the ability to move forward from where we are. And that’s goal number one, that’s reviewing the future.”

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Williams looking to sacrifice 2023 season for a better future

Williams Racing is working with a long-term plan in place, according to team principal James Vowles.

While the first race of the 2023 season in Bahrain saw Williams surprise many by scoring points through Alex Albon's P10 finish, the excellent result, however, has not changed the team's plans, Vowles stated. Williams still intends to sacrifice 2023 to lay solid foundations for the future, he confirmed.

The 43-year-old explained (via it.motorsport):

“The [2023] car is a prototype, thousands of pieces joined together at the same time. And if you stay still, static, without making improvements or changes, you will slide back into the grid. With these regulations, first of all we have to fully understand how the tires work, how to get the most out of the tyres, how to improve the balance. This is the first area we pay attention to.”

He added:

“The second is to make sure we have good performance every weekend. The third is to be able to learn as much as possible for the next ones, so in every Grand Prix we not only learn something from that race weekend, but also for the following weekends and years.”