James Vowles and Andy Cowell have both offered a glimpse into how deeply the leadership of Mercedes team boss, Toto Wolff has shaped their own approaches as team principals. The pair, who spent significant portions of their careers within the Mercedes structure, now helm Formula 1 operations at Williams and Aston Martin respectively.
Vowles pays tribute to a decade of mentorship
Before taking on the role of Team Principal at Williams in 2023, James Vowles had built a formidable CV through engineering and strategy roles with Mercedes, Brawn GP, Honda, and BAR. During the Monaco GP weekend, Vowles sat alongside Wolff and Cowell in a press conference and spoke candidly about how much of his leadership style stemmed directly from the Austrian and his time at Mercedes.
“Toto just joked, ‘all of it’, but it is not a joke. It really is that,” Vowles stated.
“I had the pleasure of being… Toto, probably 10 years ago, 12 years ago or so, he pulled me under his wing and just slowly allowed me to get more and more responsibility within the organisation in a way that exposed me to the difficulties that he is going through daily, but in a safe and positive way.”
Vowles likened the progression to how drivers evolve into more technically involved roles within a team. He expressed sincere gratitude for Wolff’s steady mentorship, especially during moments of challenge.
“So it went similar to drivers – drivers into more technical bits of the business. There is no doubt about it, I would have sunk without his expertise and guidance by my side, and it is what he does really well, but he is bashful and does not talk about it too much.”
“But it was a pleasure in that circumstance. There was a time that is not very well known, but we spent a week together in his place in Austria and that was one of the best weeks of my life. So, there are some incredible things that you can do whilst you are under the guidance of Toto.”
Cowell acknowledges broad lessons from the Mercedes family
Andy Cowell echoed Vowles’s sentiments. Known for leading Mercedes’ engine division to dominant success, Cowell served as Engineering Director from 2008 before becoming Managing Director of Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains. He departed the team in 2020, only to return to the grid in late 2024 as CEO of Aston Martin. He then took the reins as Team Principal in 2025.
“I think [in] my time at Mercedes, I learned from Toto,” Cowell explained.
He continued, “I learned from Niki Lauda. I learned from Ola Källenius, and there are all these characters that you come across when you are in the Mercedes family. And yes, you try and remember the good bits and push and move forwards.”
His time under the stewardship of such prominent figures helped shape the principles he now brings to Aston Martin as they seek to challenge the established front-runners.
Wolff highlights their leadership potential early on
Toto Wolff, reflecting on the development of both Vowles and Cowell, spoke about the early signs that each possessed qualities of future team leaders. Their technical expertise combined with strong interpersonal skills made a lasting impression on the Mercedes boss.
“With Andy, he was one of the strongest managers that I have seen ever in my life with all the other businesses,” Wolff said. “He had also the human side and the people management, on the other side, the technical skill.”
“We used to laugh when we had an engine issue, that Andy was having his fingers on the pistons and in the cylinder head on the Saturday, after Qualifying. And I always said, ‘Are your nails dirty?’ Because that meant he was in control of what was happening on the engine side. So, yes, definitely.”
Turning to Vowles, Wolff remarked that the Briton might have led Mercedes one day—if Wolff himself had not already been in that seat.
“And James, you know, James could have been a team principal in Mercedes if it was not me. I was in his way. So, he chose another route, and does that very well as you can see.”
An evident legacy of mentorship
Both Cowell and Vowles represent the broader legacy of leadership development fostered within the Mercedes structure. Their paths underscore how the environment built by Wolff and his predecessors cultivated individuals not only technically brilliant, but also emotionally intelligent and team-focused.
As Aston Martin and Williams continue their own respective rebuilds, the influence of Toto Wolff remains evident—if not in title, then certainly in ethos.
