Vowles reveals 'no poaching' agreement with Mercedes

Williams team boss James Vowles says he is barred from head hunting any engineers or staff from his former employer Mercedes.

The Brackley squad's former chief of strategy, who masterminded many wins for the championship winning team, opted to move to Williams to undertake the massive task of rebuilding the Grove-based outfit.

But although Vowles' transfer was a major coup for Williams, it won't be followed by any other significant hirings from Mercedes.

"That is correct. But that’s not just the case between Mercedes and me," Vowles told Auto Motor und Sport.

"Anyone who leaves a team cannot simply take people with them. In my particular circumstances, I know some very intelligent people from other organisations that I’m in touch with."

• Read also: Hill believes Vowles is right man to revive Williams

The days of poaching personnel or high-profile staff by relying on generous financial incentives are a thing of the past for F1 teams, which now operate according to the sport's mandatory budget cap constraints.

Since the advent in 2021 of F1's new financial regulations, efficiency has become a prime concern, and its one that was very much a secondary consideration at Williams before Vowles' arrival.

"It depends on what the 800 people are doing and how efficiently they work within the budget cap," said the British engineer, addressing a team's need to recruit.

"That’s what it’s all about, efficiency.

"I don’t think we were particularly clever in working out the cost cap. We are in the process of changing that. The number of employees falls back on this.

"To answer your question: there are different models. But if you look at the top teams - Red Bull, Mercedes and Ferrari - they employ a lot of smart people. That’s what you strive for."

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