James Vowles disagrees with Charles Leclerc’s damning verdict of 2026 cars

Williams team principal James Vowles has disagreed with Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc over his opinions on the upcoming 2026 Formula 1 regulation cars. While the Monegasque described the Maranello team’s virtual car as “not the most enjoyable race car I’ve driven so far,” Vowles is more optimistic. 

Next season’s machinery will see a substantial overhaul to the design of both aerodynamic elements and the power unit. The cars will feature a 50-50 split between electric and internal combustion engine power, as well as changes to the size, weight, and downforce levels in a bid to improve racing.

Despite this, there have been concerns over these changes, especially with regard to energy management, with Max Verstappen famously admitting he had to change down gears on the Monza straight on an early simulator run. 

Leclerc recently openly criticised the car after a virtual run at the Ferrari factory. 

“Let’s say it’s not the most enjoyable race car I’ve driven so far but we are still in a moment where the project is relatively new,” he said. “My hope relies in the fact that it will evolve quite a bit in the next few months but it’s no secret that I think the regulations for next year is going to be a lot more… probably less enjoyable for drivers to drive.

“So yeah, I’m not a big fan of it for now but it’s the way it is and at the end of the day I think there’s a challenge and I would like the challenge of maximising a very different car to what it is at the moment.

“But do I enjoy it? Probably not.”

Energy management is a concern for Leclerc. 

James Vowles, Team Principal of Williams

Photo by: Clive Rose / Getty Images

“I just don’t imagine yet how racing will look like and how cool the overtaking will be next year with this new regulation.

“So this is something that I know people and teams and the FIA is aware and there’s probably some work to be done on that. I don’t know how much it will change from now on though.”

This is a rather damning assessment from the driver who is keen to win his first championship with the Scuderia. But the Williams chief is looking forward to the “driving style change” he deems necessary for next season.  

“There was a driving style change that you need to do. It’s like anything. We have to change driving style to adapt to these cars,” Vowles explained. “No one really wants to be kangarooing along the ground and yet, actually, I think the formula now is quite a good racing series, for what it’s worth.

 ”I think it’s probably fair to say we’re advanced relative to other teams in terms of what we’re doing and ‘it gets better,’ is my comment to Charles. It kind of gives us an indication of where they are at the moment in terms of their cycle. I actually don’t think the formula for next year is bad at all.

“ I think it’s different. I think there’s work to be done, because I’m a little bit concerned about how we get the differentiation in terms of overtaking. There’s some real detailed things we’re gonna sort out. Like do we run straight line mode in the wet?

James Vowles, Williams

Photo by: Peter Fox / Getty Images

“It doesn’t sound really exciting or important, but to explain it, we’re gonna be running the cars low, and if you save the straight line mode and it dries up, you’re just basically gonna wear through the front of the car.

“So there’s some details like that we’ve gotta get into and fix, but we will do as a result of it. But actually once you go over the hurdle through, some nice things that come out the other side of it. They’re just not there at the moment, so I’m looking forward to next year, not the other round.”

When pressed on whether an advantage will come from a greater understanding of the regulations or simply more time in the wind tunnel, Vowles admits it will be a mix of both.

“I think it’s both, actually, for what it’s worth,” he said. “On this year’s car, you’ve heard everyone talk about it, but you’re doing a great job if you can bring out a tenth of the performance of the car in an update.

“Whereas, of course, next year, new regulations, it’s huge amounts of performance you find week on week. So it is still wind tunnel time. The bigger learning is more, actually, you start going through cycles of, have you thought about this? Why don’t we try this? Why don’t we go in this different direction? Which leads you into completely different avenues.

“And that’s the element that allows you to get ahead of time, so it’s not just wind tunnel time.”