James Vowles picks out F1’s best team principal after three years in charge at Williams

Even though Mercedes haven’t been title contenders since their last championship in 2021, Vowles still admires Wolff’s approach to management.

“I don’t think I’m the best,” said Vowles. “I can’t be the best. I’ve won zero races as a team principal and zero championships.”

“Here’s how I view things – Toto [is the best] because he really had a very good ability to listen to the senior leadership on where we need to be, and taught me a huge amount on managing drivers.”

Is this the biggest mistake of Toto Wolff’s Mercedes tenure?

With Mercedes not in the title picture, most of the headlines around Wolff this year have been tied to the driver market. He continued his pursuit of Max Verstappen, who eventually committed to staying at Red Bull.

Russell has yet to sign a new contract with Mercedes despite being one of their standout performers in 2025. Wolff is expected to keep both Russell and Antonelli, but negotiations have dragged on longer than anticipated.

The decision not to loan out Antonelli has raised eyebrows, especially given some doubts about whether he was ready for a top seat so early in his career. That faith was shown when he chose Antonelli over an established option like Carlos Sainz as Lewis Hamilton’s replacement.

While Vowles cites Wolff’s skill at managing drivers, rushing Antonelli was perhaps an error. He could have signed a proven commodity like Carlos Sainz and allowed the Italian to develop elsewhere, but there’s no sign of any regret.