Ex-Mercedes F1 Boss on Lewis Hamilton

Watch the full episode: • Williams F1 Boss Exclu...
With Lewis Hamilton set to join Ferrari in 2025, ex-Mercedes F1 boss James Vowles, reflects on the sporting icon's skill on and off the track.
Having previously worked with Michael Schumacher, James compares the two great drivers and explains the dynamics of working for Mercedes F1.
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#mercedes #ferrari #lewishamilton #f1

[@HighPerformancePodcast]

Is Lewis Hamilton the best F1 driver of all time? 🏁

[@mart1n10601]

Yes. Not even close. Came from a working class house hold and conquered a sport that revolves around MONEY$$$$$$. He truly is the GOAT (right up there with Schumacher).

[@frankdriesen9419]

No. He’s just the most successful driver. Nowhere near the best.

[@mart1n10601]

@@frankdriesen9419 so using ur own logic, "less succesful = better" LMFAO

[@karlosdelacruz3803]

You just have to look at his Rookie season. Then ask, who else could have done that...? Perhaps only Alonso. They are a rare breed.

[@carloskissoondhan9641]

Absolutely and going!!💪🏾🏁✌🏾💚🙏🏾

[@thelongname8575]

That’s some brilliant timing lads😂

[@whracing]

They have taken this from the video they released a day or 2 ago. They have segmented a part and released it

[@joshd171294]

It’s refreshing to listen to someone who really understands F1. Hamilton has over time become the most underrated driver in F1 by a lot of people who just speak on emotion. He can be irritating with some of the things he says and does but that clouds a lot of peoples judgement of him as a driver

[@Batman22222]

Yup..... most people who hate him for his personality, extrapolate that hatred onto his racecraft.....and that's pretty unfair to one of the biggest talents to ever enter F1..... It's like they don't want to look at Lewis the Racer differently than how they view Lewis the person.....and it's pretty sad to see sometimes!

[@nathanieldijkerman7731]

You're right but that's the same for many other drivers as well@@Batman22222

[@ciello___8307]

What he says and does isnt even irritating… some people just hate him cause hes black and speaks about black issues

[@nichobee]

Almost every F1 driver has 'annoying' personality traits anyway, they're risking their lives out there

[@joshd171294]

@@ciello___8307 not remotely talking about that. I rate what he did on that front

[@Feemy]

James Vowles is a crown jewel in F1, similar to Adrian Newey. His knowledge and communication skills are simply astonishing

[@douglasdejager8450]

No

[@akoskomaromi6307]

@@douglasdejager8450 yes

[@therealsharps]

lol - was an obtuse wanker back in the day.

[@stellamaxoodith2544]

When an EX-EMPLOYER makes a good statement about you it means you've achieved well and made good impression profession and personally .He doesn't have pressure to say what he is expected to. It comes from heart and close analysis. Mr James voice is just like a professor ;calm.

[@asquare9316]

OTOH, former employers can be, and have been, sued for defamation by former employees when they say something not nice about the former employee. Not saying that is happening here, but food for thought.

[@8bitamethyst965]

@@asquare9316 If its not true of course. Problem with sports is that everything is public.

[@TheTororist]

he literally said something very negative about schumacher, another mercedes driver@@asquare9316

[@964cuplove]

Please somebody do a 3 hrs + podcast with him and get all the stories between Lewis Nico and beyond all Michael Schumacher - pleeeasee

[@galboro8413]

I've had the privilege to meet lewis and he's very humble he let us have pictures taken with him and talked to us for ages I was a fan before I'm a bigger fan now. Top fella

[@rfbass5046]

Lewis has always been the most brilliant to me...I remember when he beat Seb in a faster Ferrari by using the wind at one of the turns causing Seb to degrade his tires faster and Lewis held on for the win...Seb had no idea until Lewis explained what he was doing to defend.

[@AdeJolaosho]

What race was this?

[@mendax_9117]

Bro...which race was this? Pls do tell

[@AlonsoRules]

Hamilton's best period of his career in my view was the last 6 races of 2021. He was a predator coming for his prey. Even though he didn't win thanks to Latifi, it was a joy to watch.

[@robfer5370]

Think you mean, thanks to Michael Masi not following the rules, he didn't win. But yes the catalyst to it was Latifi.

[@hotstepper8420]

He didn't win because of the conspiracy, which involved Massi.

[@JohnWiku]

He didn't win because of TOTO and MERC. He was left out with WORN out tyres to be preyed upon, AND he didn't deserve the win because he should have NEVER been tied on points for the last race. Bottass really made all the money Merc paid him worth it, by BRAWLING the grid at Hungary 2021, and almost taking out both RBs, luckily Max did win enough points to REVERSE that injustice, let's not talk about 51G's against the barrier in the most DANGEROUS corner in the entire calendar, sir LULUBELLA should have been DISQUALIFIED right there and then, he almost did it a SECOND TIME in the SAME race against LECLERC!!! Anyway, Masi for ONCE made a decision that didn't go totodile's way and then they felt it was not fair, when during ALL SEASON LONG, Masi was BOMBED in the radio by TOTO, always DEMANDING shit to go MERC's WAY!!

[@dpjohnjones432]

⁠​⁠@@JohnWiku SLH fans keep bringing up Abu Dhabi and Verstappen fans keep bringing up that corner where Max went off. The truth is Merc left SLH vulnerable with 45 lap old tires and RB capitalized on it. Also, the truth is the whole season Lewis let Max push him off track repeatedly and when Lewis stopped giving him room the collisions started. Max ended up on the short end of the precedent he started.

[@HerrPoopschitz]

@@JohnWiku🤣what a childish, ignorant series of statements.

[@Robbie-bp3mg]

James is an amazing orator and super intelligent engineer. Fantastic insight into the Lewis world. Thanks James

[@magicbuddha7243]

This is why Ferrari wants Lewis so badly. I am confident Lewis knows this is the right moment to move to Ferrari. Curious to see what that is. Just FYI, I support Max, but Lewis is still the most successful F1 driver. When I support Max, it does not mean I am against Lewis. That would be weird as I like F1.

[@maximilliancunningham6091]

We'll see. I am currently of a mind that Ferrari is insane, to get rid of Sainz.

[@alimantado373]

Whether Lewis bows out at Ferrari, and doesnt win another WDC, on paper he is the GOAT and will be remembered as that. Max to be a goat needs to go to another team and develop the Car. I dont see that happening. or another 7 WDC.

[@kwanlinus6999]

Lewis, It's James

[@andrewharrison7767]

lewis, charles is faster than you

[@kashif9145]

@@andrewharrison7767Lewis, thank you. U can overtake, Charles is in the barriers

[@o0oStillWeRiseo0o]

@@kashif9145 sheeeesh

[@T-Wavebeatbox]

Lewis you can come in, no stay out stay out!

[@danny7694]

Lets be honest, dumb and dumber are gonna run that team into the ground. There's no way these 2 cockadoodles can run side by side cleanly, they'll murder each other for a p3. Lewis is going to flop at Ferrari and retire just like Vettel did. Ferrari is where the greats go to fizzle out their careers nowadays. @@kashif9145

[@mercedestorque1735]

"If you win a title in an unfair manner then it will be muddied and you'll regret it for the rest of your life"

[@petertownsend2255]

I hope Christian, Johnathan weatly and max take note

[@pyfutura07]

This quote stood out to me immediately also

[@dejuans1328]

​​@@petertownsend2255I doubt they care or even think along those lines.

[@jaapongeveer6203]

Things were put in proper place at the end and Hamilton was punished for the shunt off at Silverstone.

[@bscsneakerguy4401]

The subliminal was crazy 🤣

[@spurtree1]

Other than Lewis, James was Mercedes biggest loss. He had no issues telling Toto what needed to be done, and he respected Lewis. Obviously, that was not the case for Mercedes lately as they neglected his input on the car.

[@KeithBinding1]

JV going to Williams is all part of the masterplan to groom him as Toto's successor, with Toto orchestrating the whole thing IMHO.

[@jf9601]

The best part for me was the smile on James’ face when he started talking about Lewis. It was warm, respectful and insightful but also authoritative.

[@kings_chronicle592]

This man is someone that actually knows how to lead and understands drivers

[@jamestreanor182]

Nico won a championship by cheating (backing up in runoff area) at Monaco and Max won a championship by Jonathan Wheatly and Michael Massi conspiring to “let’s go racing”

[@arshobing]

Perfect timing innit loll

[@Jhin224]

I can’t like it’s literally at 44

[@commentator3837]

It's interesting how James places his feet

[@janbo8331]

Indeed. Looks like a "pitwall pose".

[@paulordbm]

Genius timing on this cut lmao!

[@markpass4215]

What an intelligent articulate and calm man…Class…you can see how you want him in your corner..superb to listen to..simply a man you could trust..the polar opposite of Christian Horner in style, conduct, and in values

[@youssefsherif32]

I can't still belive that he is joining ferrari😲😶

[@solobuilder7451]

Now I’ve listened to this, wow, it makes soooo much sense, he does sometime seem to be off the pace, be behind his teammate, yet the final lap of the final session of quali he sticks it on pole. People who are haters are always going to hate, I’m first to hold my hands up, I don’t particularly like him as a person, but I’ve always loved him as a driver, and now I love him even more 👏👏👏

[@alimantado373]

All this BS about liking him as a person.. you dont know him behind media personality. None of us do except his immediate family.

[@wibblywobbly99]

Lewis equals legacy, all the other multi champs of recent times can't say that

[@solmanJapan]

It's amazing that you have drivers like Max, Lewis and Fernando with very different skill sets and methodologies... And all successful ... Love seeing all of them racing...

[@andrewmelton2686]

What has max achieved to have been pit in the same sentence as hamilton lol

[@ChrisStoneinator]

@@andrewmelton2686 what has Alonso achieved to be put in the same sentence as either?

[@alimantado373]

Ive never seen Max race like Alonso or Lewis , using every trick in the book and close wheel to wheel racing. When I have he earnt the mantle Crashappen. Still to see that kind of skill from him. Closest was Brazil in the rain, I forget the year, but plenty of other drivers can drive in the rain just as well if not better example (Button)

[@ChrisStoneinator]

@@alimantado373 look man I don't like him either but you're being silly. The year you're looking for is 2016. He was the fastest in the wet by a massive margin by taking completely different lines. Button was in that race by the way, and was not 2nd fastest. He's overly aggressive and he crashes a lot and he's an arrogant twat, but he's a bloody crafty racer and no mistake.

[@andrewmelton2686]

@@ChrisStoneinator beat actual good drivers for a wdc and in equal machinery

[@mipko]

One thing that resonates greatly is if you win the championship but not like Sportsman it would be forever mudded. ... 2021...

[@Six73c3bam1]

👍so true ☺️😞

[@jamesrichardson8417]

​@@Six73c3bam1MV would be much better thought of as a driver if he handed over the Trophy to the rightful winner Lewis Hamilton.

[@curiousuranus810]

Fantastic interview, and what James is saying is that Lewis is the GOAT.

[@vtecminileon]

This is why James will bring back Williams to the podium again. Great insight to how he thinks

[@philipbaker8707]

What makes Lewis a genius, is his ability to feed back the tweaking, that's needed to make a car perform to its maximum. He failed to win races in 2023 because the car was under performing the Red Bull and although he could on occasions find a competitive equality, it was always to near the edge of safety to making winning sensible.

[@saddist1Gtown]

This is exactly what Paddy Lowe has alluded to a few years ago and yet the majority of British media try to push a different narrative about Hamilton. They are always crediting his teammates for the progress of a car so it would be interesting to see how Russell gets this out of any cars they would put in front of him.

[@sempaidesu]

the timing of this video uploaded ...

[@TazTheLegend]

When James talks, you can’t but sit and listen to this man. Such a natural, top talent

[@JaySamurai79]

"If you win a title in an unfair manner, then it will be muddied " ... Max has left the chat.

[@NoxTM]

Max is not responsible for the decisions made by Michael Masi.

[@jamesread11]

@@NoxTMhe was heavily influenced by redbull wall pressure

[@JaySamurai79]

@NoxTM That's besides the point, the fact remains. Max has to put on a brave face and smile, but I bet he isn't as fond of that Trophy as much as the other two, why! Because its "Muddied"

[@ronniemacdonald2768]

@@jamesread11 Mercedes were pressuring too. Or have you forgotten that? Also, is that Glock? How convenient.

[@jamesread11]

@@ronniemacdonald2768 Mercedes to pressing for the execution of the rules and glock was literally the weather lol

[@soniaevans1860]

I gleaned so much from this interview. We want to win in a manner that will be remembered! What a beautiful thing to say and do❤!

[@PointonMedia]

You played the system well. Thats what I call high performance…

[@NicotineRosberg]

Very smart of u. Hamilton's name is red hot rn so automatic traffic & the algorithm will push ur video. Nice

[@hydn79]

Where's the rest of this???

[@mt2oo8]

Lewis is the greatest of all time, most might say Schumacher but Lewis is just on a whole other level

[@garfieldkeddoo81]

Lewis is KING OF F1 !!! Take that to the Banks 🏦

[@MrNanoPlankton]

yes, let's watch him win another race this year!

[@Dhsidhsusjs]

yeah no@@MrNanoPlankton

[@laman8914]

We like the part of honesty and fair racing. We think RB can learn some from this clip. Great point of view.

[@joeyboli]

Ex mercedes f1 boss ? he was the strategy director.

[@motornaut]

"Ex Mercedes, F1 boss" or it's genuine on the basis that Strat director would be some people's boss

[@joeyboli]

@@motornaut still clickbaity, if you say a teams boss everyone knows that's toto.

[@user-de1pj7oj3g]

I hope Lewis gets his next championship at Ferrari it would be the candles on a brilliantly F1 Career legacy cake. Thank you Sir Lewis Hamilton ❤

[@Scotty2303]

Perfect timing boys

[@folag]

Deep in their miserable hearts, Verstappen and his father know that Abu 21 rightfully belongs to Lewis. Max has TWO, NOT THREE Championships.

[@02uche]

Leclerc is in trouble now, going to have to work for that contract extension he got

[@MrNanoPlankton]

or maybe not - time will tell ,maybe it will be like George beating Lewis, and MB stating LH is doing some testing (Testing went on for a whole year)

[@deanwolf6811]

lewis doesnt care for 2nd or 3rd, he wants to win thats why 2 years ago he had to try help develop the car into the right direction. last year he destroyed russell and maximized the potential of the car. the problem will be this season as mercedes has again constructed a subpar race car. if u have won 7 titles 2nd or 3rd isnt good enough.@@MrNanoPlankton

[@MuadhRazaque]

so excited to see him at ferrari

[@SkarTisu]

I’m REALLY glad he brought up the 1997 world title and how that championship was sullied. I guess there are still a handful of human beings within F1.

[@saqib7965]

All Lewis fans wanted to see him drive for Ferrari one day

[@pyfutura07]

No I did not

[@brucieplays3720]

Red hats

[@aqielvanrussel232]

Nah, for me only the 8th title counts. It does not matter for whom he drives, as long as he get that 8th. But in 25, my favorite drivers on the grid are gonna be in the same team. I hope charles learns alot from Lewis and Lewis pass on the baton 2 Charles. Maybe Lewis his secret notebook that Lewis keeps and not many know about 😁

[@nemisis69spec]

I can agree to this

[@WinWingLP]

Good timing

[@lockettlv]

Wtf is that title? He was the motorsport strategy director at Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team

[@user-td6yv6lr7p]

The numbers don't lie

[@Hobbies-and-Experiments]

One of the most talented drivers with the fastest engine and slipperiest car in F1 history Bravo LH

[@alexgavril6483]

This guy should have his own series on Netflix, he is that good and devoted to his success and job

[@purplesector5891]

Finally a channel where the interviewers actually make interesting questions

[@lilyjones8145]

James is very smart and is worth listening to. His take on Lewis is authentic, because he knows him very well. Haters of Lewis haven’t a clue. But I bet they will laugh at this, sad 😔

[@alwishy2696]

Can listen to James all day.

[@weslyn1021]

Just watched the new season of the reality show, and this guy was pretty impressive

[@travisfubu9053]

6:15 bro dissing Max verstappen LOL

[@seanbeukman9563]

Very lovely honest illuminating opinions. Respect. So cool, in a sport shrouded in so much mystery. This man has class.

[@RustyShackleford9000]

3:20 rally. Rally is the answer

[@Maruman_man]

This is why he's so successful..he's even doing exactly this in the awful car for 2022, 2023 and 2024

[@carlosaraujo59]

I really hope this guy brings Williams to a winning count or a competitive position. His methodical and also I think he will grow to be as good as Toto

[@JaviXCdr]

Really interesting bit of interview, although talking about winning fair and square when you built a rocketship thanks to knowing the new engine regulations years in advance of your rivals, well…

[@paddock720]

2014. Rules of engagement didn't pan out too well did it 😊

[@folag]

The man speaks absolutely spot-on. What he carefully avoided was to acknowledge that Mercedes have not been able to put it all together at the track like they used to do -- when Nikki Lauda was there to lead them. Toto Wolff isn't even a shadow of Lauda. The future of Mercedes Racing is not in good hands, has been that way for much too long.

[@bobayekadabogeyman9819]

Verstappen chose any cost and yes he mared his first championship by accepting the help of the FIA and smirking at the fact shows his lack of character....

[@jamesread11]

James vowles is a fantastic talent and elite acquisition by Williams, they will be mid grid in a few years

[@simonburns7908]

Waw that was very interesting. A brilliant interview. I’ve learned a lot about Lewis And Michael Schumacher, but also makes me think about when Verstappen won his first championship which we all know was wrong.

[@bennylloyd-willner9667]

Did he actually reflect on the driver moving to Ferrari, or is it clickbait description for a video recorded before the news became officially confirmed?

[@fanatical56]

Clickbait

[@bennylloyd-willner9667]

@@fanatical56 yeah, I just saw the link to the full video they the want to lure us to... Blocking this channel, sad that it is so hard to find a respectable F1 channel run by true fans...

[@yogishnn1945]

Valtteri, This is James

[@dheerajj7496]

Valteri it's james😂

[@RectorTwixy]

What's most interesting about this is their mugs when a cup of water is in front of them.

[@onioni111111]

Does anyone know why they let this leak so early? So much disadvantages doing it.

[@IamKlaus007]

When he moves to Ferrari, their technicians need to get on board very quickly with the way Lewis thinks and adapt their cars in line with his particular level of expertise. If this can be accomplished along with solid vehicle reliability, Ferrari should have (at least in theory) provided Lewis with every opportunity to win more world championships.

[@themightyant.]

James Vowles is such a great speaker. Has a skill to cut out the fluff and explain things exceptionally clearly.

[@71MWhite]

Seems a good guy, wish him luck 👍🏼

[@2dnxtdimension]

6:18 Abu Dhabi 2021..

[@vicontogoodwin1652]

Yes. He is the G.O.A.T.

[@allanhughes7859]

Yes he really is !!!!!!!!!! with four legs and the same brain !!!!!!!!!

[@GoblinInTheMist]

Oh lord, lewis is screwed when he goes to ferrari, if james says the engineers have a hard time keeping up with the setup because lewis is so quick at changing everything. Theres gonna be alot of "ill get back to you" and other classic ferrari pit stop shenanigans.

[@eazzy171]

6:28 is AD21 😢

[@forestranger312]

Interesting about sportsmanship in winning a world championship. I wonder if vercrashen will always regret his first title when he knows he never won it by skill and fair driving it was given to him by the race director handing it too him on a plate. Cheating the rules and allowing his red bull mates an easy win, which we now know cost him his job and reputation. Vercrashen will always be remembered for his ability to cheat and run other drivers off the track to gain advantage than his talent for driving well. He’ll never be known for his sportsmanship.

[@KevinJDildonik]

TeamLH is so toxic. Stop. I'm not even a Verstappen fan you're just horrible people.

[@Six73c3bam1]

Agree 💯

[@allanpennington]

I think people watching this would say I could happily work for a boss like this guy.

[@luigicrisci7637]

James Vowles has never been Mercedes' boss, he was their strategy director

[@douglasdejager8450]

Valteri, it's James

[@keithdalgleish5659]

Very interesting snippet but I noticed there's 3 glasses of water on the table. Hope they got round to drinking said water cos I thought they would lose their voices at one point.

[@zimissscameras]

Nikki lauda was a glue that stick everything together at Mercedes

[@djneedles000]

Sounds like Max @ ~7mins

[@bigmaryhelen]

Er, Niko clearly didn't "buy into" the sportsmanship since he cheated twice in 2016 to win the world championship. The most egregious being when he pretended to nearly crash at Monaco during qualifying.

[@barniem3148]

2014 - but yes this Monaco quali followed by the Spa collision that he admitted was deliberate showed the extent Nico was willing to go to in order to beat Lewis

[@bigmaryhelen]

@@barniem3148 LOL. I'm so biased against Niko my mind changed the Monaco incident to 2016. Still, all's well that ends well. I actually like Niko now. Sort of.

[@Six73c3bam1]

When you have a great and talented sportsman, people will do anything to beat him!

[@ericdimartino8838]

Is he related to Ed China??

[@TeamOT]

It's all about beating your teammate. Ouch.

[@Totalavulsion]

What makes me laugh in F1, is the fact that if the sport was totally accessible, people like Hamilton would be bang average at best. The sport deludes itself.

[@mizzouriv3637]

By your logic thats every F1 driver smh

[@killianpotworoska3096]

It's funny that he mentions Michael and 1997... immediately reminds us of 2021 Silverstone where Lewis deliberately pushed Max Verstappen off the track.

[@walterking5453]

Only anybody would think he was nearly as good as Michael Schumacher

[@phelelanimkhize4522]

"Valterri its James..."

[@sammychan19]

Cmon guys what sort of a click bait title is that? It's not Toto, and we know who James is.

[@eugenefritz6669]

Is this the guy that says: Lewis, it’s James?? Really?

[@DJKaBz1]

Braun is great

[@gc641]

Wish my big boss is open and transparent 😂😂

[@suprafan246]

lol. Nico looking at data.

[@kantaverma5970]

Mercedes driver line-up for 2025 : G.Russel & A.Albon or F.Alonso