James Vowles sets his targets on winning F1 race with Williams by 2028

James Vowles has recently shared the timeframe for Williams to win a Grand Prix race. The British team is barely a shadow of their prime, and as things stand, Vowles does not expect Carlos Sainz and company to win a race before 2028.

Going by its history, Williams is one of the most successful teams in the sport. Despite this, their performances have not been up to the mark for nearly three decades. The British team claimed their last Championship back in 1997. It was the year when they bagged both the Drivers' and Constructors' titles.

Jacques Villeneuve of Williams claimed the drivers' championship, and his teammate Heinz-Harald Frentzen followed behind in P2. However, coming into 2024, winning a race looks like a far cry for the Grove-based team.

Amid this, Vowles shared the timeframe when Williams can come into contention for a race win. He said (via FormulaNerds):

"I think if you ask me to commit to a date, I would have said more ’28, but I think the point is we should be on the right journey to get towards there as well."

Vowles added:

“Getting it right is the real key behind being successful in F1, not for one year but for many, many years in front. [So], ’28 I’d be a lot more confident about looking you in the eyes and saying, ‘Yes’.”

One cannot expect Williams to start pushing for the world championship right from 2028, as the British team needs to perform constantly and attract top-quality drivers. However, James Vowles, the former Mercedes strategy director, is hopeful.

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James Vowles expects Carlos Sainz to be a pivotal figure in Williams' championship challenge

The Williams F1 team has recently signed Carlos Sainz from Ferrari. The Spanish driver agreed on a multi-year deal with James Vowles' team and is all set to join the Grove-based team next season.

With Sainz in his artillery, and Alex Albon already on the team, the British boss expects them to fire on all cylinders when Williams becomes a force to reckon with in 2028. With this, he also expects Sainz to steer Williams' championship challenge.

“I’ll celebrate when you come to me and say, ‘Congratulations, Williams is a strong competitor fighting for wins and fighting for championships’. As horrible as that sounds, that’s what it takes to get me to a point where I believe we’ve been successful. Carlos is a huge asset, he’s a brilliant driver, but he’s a step along the way for this team moving back towards the front," Vowles said (via FormulaNerds).

The Williams F1 team stands in P9 in the Constructors' championship with six points in 2024. They finished the 2023 season in P7 with 28 points.