James Vowles says he and or Dorilton Capital have no intention to shed away the heritage ‘Williams’ name amid influx of sponsor driven identities.
After the family sold the F1 team to Dorilton Capital, there were questions raised about the ‘Williams’ name, if the new owners will decide to shed it away. But they retained it and have plans to do so in the future as well despite recent changes.
A lot of F1 teams have gone towards the route of taking sponsor names, especially this year we see names like ‘Stake F1 Team’ and ‘Visa Cash App RB F1 Team’. Even the big outfits do have sponsors like Red Bull using Oracale in its name.
Or for that matter Haas using ‘Moneygram’, but Williams have no plans to shed away the heritage name due to the legacy that the name has in the F1 world. “I think it’s one of the biggest brands, certainly in motorsports and certainly in the UK,” said Vowles, while talking about the name ‘Williams’.
“I also have no desire whatsoever to change it, nor does Dorilton for that matter, because it means a tremendous amount to me. Frank and his legacy remain on in us and you’ll see at the livery now as well, if you look at the back, you’ll see his arrow subtly embedded in there, you’ll see that at Silverstone as well, I really wanted his mark on the car, I wanted to reflect that I’m not here to replace him.
“I’m here to carry on the legacy that is Williams. It’s huge heritage, if you come down, and please do if you have the opportunity, to our experience centre and walk around all the cars from ’77. So maybe 50 years worth of cars, of which there are many, many champions there, it would be a fool who got rid of that? Because why would you.
“It still creates the brand that is there today and it’s one of our strengths against all others. Still today I don’t know AlphaTauri’s new name. And I was in an F1 Commission earlier and they mentioned it. But it doesn’t matter. Something is their new name. And that’s part of the problem. That doesn’t have legacy, that doesn’t hold weight in my mind.
“You create legacy through championships, through growth, through a tremendous amount of the world believing in you and following you. And so answering your question, Williams means a tremendous amount to me. It’s the first team I really followed. And it’s what I want to retain, because it’s a strength not a weakness,” summed up Vowles.
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