When we recorded this show the day before James flew out to Baku, we did not expect Williams to be up on the podium delivering in real life what James was theoretically describing to us on the show. Podiums are of course part of the development plan, but not yet.

When James came to see us at Business of Sport HQ last week, we talked through both what he has done to position the team for future success, and what he still needs to do. In a sport that requires so many minds pulling together, utilising a vast array of talents, the prospect of building what is popularly termed as ‘winning culture’ could seem daunting; where do you even start? For James, it was recognising that even in a sport of technology and science, people and culture are what makes you win.

This weekend’s result would place Williams ahead of where James has set expectations. But don’t get me wrong, this result in Baku will have been celebrated in the halls of Grove, because no matter how long term the strategy for success is, these wins you pick up on the way are integral to showing the team that what they’re doing is on the right path, and from James’ perspective (though he’d never look at it like this) that he’s the man to deliver for them. This is James Vowles on the business of Williams and F1…and a taste of what’s to come.

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro

03:54 Rebuilding Williams Through Culture

07:18 Balancing Past Success with a New Identity

10:54 Williams’ Long-Term Plan for Success

17:31 What Vowles Brings to Sainz & Albon

22:35 Can Money Alone Deliver F1 Success?

25:22 Does Losing Money Matter in F1 Ownership?

28:23 Turning Heavy Investment Into Performance

30:45 Williams’ New Revenue Streams

34:25 How Teams Compete for the Same Sponsors

37:37 Will Formula 1 Control Its Own Platform

41:30 Overcoming Challenges as a New Team Principal

46:10 The Mediafication of F1 Leadership

47:30 Quick-Fire Round

In Today's Episode We Discuss:

1. Rebuilding Williams from the Ground Up:

• Why James left the comfort of Mercedes to take on the challenge of reviving one of Formula One’s most historic but struggling teams.

• How he discovered Williams was “a bankrupt organisation” on arrival and why he likens it to running a 50-year-old startup.

• The long-term plan to make Williams both competitive and profitable again by 2028, balancing heavy investment with financial discipline

• How James is instilling accountability, long-term thinking, and a “break everything” mindset to push the team beyond survival.

  
  

2. The Culture of Performance:

• The importance of ego-free leadership from drivers like Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz in shaping a winning environment

• The real split between car and driver performance and why drivers remain the best “sensors” for development.

• What James learned from working with Schumacher, Rosberg, and Hamilton, and how those lessons are applied to Albon and Sainz today.

• Why humility, confidence, and resilience separate the very best drivers from the rest

  
  

3. The Business of F1:

• The realities of cost caps, sponsorship, and commercial growth in modern F1.

• Why Williams’ sponsorship strategy is about authentic partnerships, not stickers on a car and how deals like Atlassian reflect the team’s values.

• James’ candid view on asset values, media rights, and how F1 must evolve its broadcasting model to engage younger fans

  
  

4. The Future of the Sport:

• Why two-day race weekends could be the future, and how unpredictability makes F1 compelling.

• His view on an 11th team, the balance of tradition versus innovation, and how Netflix and Drive to Survive changed the sport’s global appeal.

• What excites him most about the years ahead: leaving a lasting legacy at Williams and returning the team to the front of the grid.

  
  

  A huge thank you to our amazing partners on the show:

  Stryde

  Bringing sports investment opportunities to your door. Visit www.gostryde.com to become part of the movement!

  
  

This week we’re delighted to welcome Patrick Mouratoglou to the show. Patrick is one of tennis' most successful coaches, working with Serena Williams, Naomi Osaka, Holger Rune, Grigor Dimitrov, Simona Halep to name a few. Perhaps most famous for his collaboration with Serena Williams where they won 10 Grand Slams together, it’s regarded as one of the most successful coach-player relationships in tennis history.

Alongside this, Patrick is the founder of the world-renowned Mouratoglou Tennis Academy. The academy has nurtured hundreds of elite players including Coco Gauff, Holger Rune and Stefanos Tsitsipas through a personalized, high-performance training model. It combines cutting-edge facilities with academic programs, helping student-athletes from over 45 countries balance education and sport. The academy has become a global brand with satellite centers in China, Greece, Italy, Malaysia, Dubai and the U.S.

Patrick’s new book ‘Champion Mindset’ takes the position of transferring everything he has learned in tennis to apply to everyday life. Believe it or not, what makes Serena so successful won’t be too far away from what can work for you, in business, performance, or just general life. I have put the link in the bio (not an advert!) because it’s one of the best books I’ve read. This is an inspiring conversation that I know you will love, whether a big tennis fan or just interested in the philosophies of nurturing top talent.

On today’s show we discuss:

Coaching the Greats:

Inside the 10-year partnership with Serena Williams that delivered 10 Grand Slams and is regarded as one of the greatest player–coach relationships in history.

Why courage, honesty, and “never being afraid to get fired” are central to coaching elite athletes.

Lessons from working with Naomi Osaka, Simona Halep, Holger Rune, Grigor Dimitrov and others and the unique challenges of guiding champions at different stages of their careers.

The Philosophy of Confidence:

Why success is built on stacking “little victories” and creating positive experiences every day.

How champions like Murray, Djokovic, and Serena win even when they’re not playing well and how to transfer that mindset to business and everyday life.

The art of knowing what to say, when to say it, and when to say nothing at all.

The Mouratoglou Academy & Champion Mindset:

How his academy became Europe’s biggest and now spans 14 global centers, producing players like Coco Gauff, Holger Rune, and Stefanos Tsitsipas.

The importance of combining world-class training with education to make tennis accessible beyond the elite.

Patrick’s new book Champion Mindset and why the same principles that drove Serena to greatness can apply to anyone in sport, business, or life.

Champion Mindset by Patrick Mouratoglou (Yellow Kite: £20)

A huge thank you to our amazing partners on the show:

Stryde

Bringing sports investment opportunities to your door. Visit www.gostryde.com to become part of the movement!

This week we’re delighted to welcome Mark Hammond to the show. Mark is the CEO of Bromley, one of the EFL’s emerging success stories. Having only played one full season in the football league and finishing a hugely respectable 11th last year, you’d be forgiven for thinking that the the early stages of this club’s acclimatisation to top level football would focus on consolidation and survival. You’d be wrong, as Mark clearly told me when about to assume the same thing; this is a club whose ambition is once again promotion.

But it is not just the work the first team are doing on the pitch that makes Bromley such a standout case. An academy system that focuses not just on supplying players for the first team but also providing an education and opportunities beyond the pitch for hundreds of children is going a long way to fixing some of the big problems football has when players give up everything to chase the (almost) impossible dream.

Mark’s career as a player, coach and now CEO is not the path you often see to top football executive, but that’s what endears. Different ideas and approaches to building exciting, sustainable entertainment products doing the best for their fans and communities requires a different approach. ‘We’re not teaching our kids to be professional footballers; we’re teaching them to be professionals in football’.

On today’s show we discuss:

The Rise of Bromley FC:

How Bromley went from non-league football to mid-table in their first-ever EFL season.

Balancing ambition with discipline: why promotion is the goal, but not at the expense of financial sustainability.

Why the relationship between owner, chief executive and manager is at the core of Bromley’s success.

Community and Education at the Heart:

Why Bromley is built on being a true community club, with over 350 students and 58 grassroots teams pulling on the Bromley shirt every weekend.

How the club’s education system provides career pathways beyond playing. Creating “professionals in football,” whether as coaches, analysts, physios, or teachers.

The importance of honesty with young players about their chances of “making it,” while still giving them an elite environment to grow.

Building a Sustainable Club Model:

The challenge of competing with bigger budgets while staying disciplined and creative.

The academy and B-team strategy that develops players at different stages and how Bromley is already producing players for the Premier League and England youth teams.

Why the best coaches in the club must be with the U14s and U18s, preparing players for the toughest transitions in football.

The Future of Bromley FC:

Developing Hayes Lane into a 6,000+ seater stadium and building the infrastructure for long-term growth.

The balance between selling talent and ensuring homegrown players get their chance in the first team.

Why the club embraces being part of fans’ “second team,” and how schools and grassroots football are key to building the next generation of supporters.

A huge thank you to our amazing partners on the show:

Stryde

Bringing sports investment opportunities to your door. Visit www.gostryde.com to become part of the movement!