James Vowles labels Lewis Hamilton “the most naturally talented driver I’ve worked with” ahead of Michael Schumacher

Williams F1 boss James Vowles believes Lewis Hamilton is the “most naturally talented driver” he’s worked with, even ahead of Michael Schumacher.

Vowles spent many years at Mercedes as their head of strategy, with his important calls on the pitwall contributing to big success.

Mercedes remained unbeaten between 2014 and 2020 as Hamilton won six world titles; Nico Rosberg won one.

At the end of 2022, Vowles left the team to join Williams as their team principal.

In his short time with the team, Vowles has impressed, guiding Williams to their best finish since 2017 with seventh in the standings.

Reflecting on his time at Mercedes, Vowles was full of praise for Hamilton.

“I struggle to find another sport similar to this where it's a team sport, but it starts by beating your teammate. If you don't beat your teammate, you're in trouble - but that's just one fight.

“The key behind it is how everyone contributes to this success," Vowles said on the High Performance podcast.

“With Lewis, he was - and still is today - the most naturally talented driver I've worked with including Michael [Schumacher].”

Vowles noted an important shift in Hamilton’s mentality.

The 44-year-old explained how Hamilton had a ‘win at all costs’ view, but soon changed it as he got older, focusing on the bigger picture.

“His mentality at the time [when he joined the team] was a brilliant one. It was 'I'm going to win every race at all costs' but if you speak to him today, he accepts that it's the second places and third places that win championships.

“Working with the team on the days that you can't win the race will give you far more of a reward than pushing everyone away to win a single race out of it.”