The 2025 F1 season marks the 75th anniversary of the sport, and throughout its illustrious history, only a handful of teams have been able to carve an indelible legacy. The teams that have stood the test of time are the likes of Williams, Ferrari, McLaren, and Sauber.
Out of this quartet, the iconic Prancing Horse of Ferrari is the undisputed king. With 16 Constructors’ titles and 15 Drivers’ championships, the Maranello-based team is head and shoulders above its rivals when it comes to legacy.
And Williams team principal, James Vowles acknowledges that.
“Ferrari, it’s ahead,” conceded the Briton whilst talking about the rich heritage of its own team. But what about the other two legacy outfits?
Barring the Maranello-based team, Vowles is of the firm opinion that Williams takes second place on that list comfortably. This would mean considering its history in F1 above the likes of McLaren and Sauber.
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Comparing both teams’ journeys in F1, there isn’t much to separate Williams and McLaren. Williams came into the sport in the late 1970s, a decade after McLaren, but the ’80s saw both British outfits fight each other on equal terms for the championship.
To date, both teams have won nine Constructors’ titles each. But the Grove-based team hasn’t won anything in F1 since 1997. In fact, since the turbo-hybrid era began in 2014, Williams’ competitiveness has steadily deteriorated with some of its worst seasons coming in 2019 and 2020.
On the other hand, the Woking-based team did face a trying period of underpowered engines from 2015 to 2017 but started to bounce back in 2019 under Zak Brown’s leadership and a solid technical structure in place with the likes of Andrea Stella and Peter Prodomou contributing heavily to their on-track improvements.
As a result, McLaren has seen an uptick in competitiveness in the last couple of seasons, culminating in their first Constructors’ title since 1998 last season. The Williams team principal is keen on emulating this revival to the top of F1 for his squad too.
Vowles wants Williams to eclipse its past and reign dominant in F1
Ever since taking over the reins at Williams, Vowles has been on an unequivocal mission to get the Grove-based team back to its winning ways. And the 45-year-old isn’t chasing the odd success, rather, he wants to see the team succeed sustainably.
“I want this team to be successful for 20 years, 30 years,” he added.
Vowles emphasized how it is crucial for the team to completely transform its operations to achieve this goal. Moreover, the team needs to make radical advances in its car philosophy, especially with the 2026 regulations reset right around the corner.
To ensure this, Vowles isn’t afraid to sacrifice the team’s ambitions for this season. “I’ve been very clear from the beginning that 2026 is the large year I want to make sure we put focus onto. And that will have an effect on 2025, a sacrifice in some elements,” he said.
The 2026 regulations reset will see all the teams starting from scratch on the chassis and power unit side of things. This could allow a team like Williams to ace the regulations and emerge as a front-running team in 2026 and beyond. It may seem far-fetched but stranger things have happened in F1.
