A former Formula 1 star has questioned Mercedes over the departure of strategy chief James Vowles.
A key member of the Mercedes leadership for several years, Vowles will leave the team next month. He officially starts as new Williams team principal on February 20th, leaving a significant hole in Toto Wolff's inner circle ahead of the 2023 campaign.
While it would be difficult to deny a friend and colleague a promotion to the top job at another team after so many years of service, former F1 driver Vitaly Petrov feels Wolff and the Silver Arrows should have done more to avoid losing a key staff member who will be tough to replace.
"Now everything will depend on how Mercedes solves the problems with the car and how they should replace such a man," the former Renault and Caterham driver told Russian media, as reported by Speedweek. "Honestly, I would never have let him go.
"Of course, I understand that it is sometimes not possible to keep a man in the same position for a long time. Because there are simply employees who are looking for a fresh job, and that is not a question of money either. From Vowles' point of view, I can understand the change."
Reacting to the news of Vowles' impending move, Wolff appeared both sombre and proud to see his ally move on. He also suggested that, regarding their own strategy operation, Mercedes are likely to promote from within for the 2023 campaign.
"The Austrian said: "James has been a highly valued member of our team in his role as motorsport strategy director, playing an integral part in our success in recent years. Having worked with him since I first joined the team in 2013, I know how diligent, capable and talented he is and have taken great satisfaction from watching James develop and grow over the past decade.
"Since stepping back from the pit wall mid-season last year, he has continued to build the capability of our strategy team at Brackley, and we have a fantastic group of talented strategists who will continue their superb work in the years to come.
"While we are naturally sad to be saying goodbye to such a capable member of the team, I have no doubts whatsoever that he has all the necessary skills to become a fantastic team principal in F1. We wish him every success and are delighted that he will take this next step in his career with Williams, a strong technical partner of ours and one that has a place close to my own heart."
