James Vowles: There are difficulties, but that is also part of life.

      It has become a tradition for James Vowles to meet with British fans before the start of the race weekend in Silverstone, and yesterday he appeared at the Williams fan zone in London to discuss the team's situation at this stage of the season.

      James Vowles: "We have had two difficult weekends behind us, but unfortunately, after Barcelona, we anticipated that we would face challenges in Austria as well. However, there are still some positives: for the upcoming weekend, we have made significant changes to the car – partly related to technical innovations, partly to how we are working with the FW48.

      The situation is not easy, but overcoming difficulties always teaches you something, and it helps you move forward. This weekend we will take just one step forward, but we will continue to strive for improvements beyond that. Overall, there are challenges, but that is also part of life.

      In Silverstone, we expect to find ourselves in a somewhat different situation, closer to what we experienced in Miami or Montreal. The British track has a fast character, and it features one of the best sequences of corners in the entire championship calendar – namely Maggots, Becketts, and Chapel. But there are also good medium-speed and slow corners, so we can talk about a full spectrum of different types of sections.

      Another difference this weekend is the strong influence of the wind, which blows almost constantly in Silverstone. However, we are currently experiencing warm sunny weather, and in these conditions, the wind usually calms down. It will be hot, although not as much as in Austria, where the asphalt heated up to 60 degrees – I can't even remember the last time that happened!

      To our fans, I can say this: the main thing is that we are moving forward, even though some of our steps may not be visible from the outside. Over the past three months, we have made numerous changes, and this is probably nearly the maximum of what we can do at the moment.

      But work on significant technical innovations continues, and the next important stage of modernization will coincide with the event in Baku. In fact, throughout the season, we will completely redesign the entire car. The direction we have chosen remains unchanged; we continue to move towards our main goal: by 2030, we must be fighting for victories, and I am confident that this goal will be achieved.

      So to the fans who have supported Williams for many years, I say: please stay with us, believe that we are on the right path, and important changes for the better are ahead!"

      When James was asked how he copes with the stresses that inevitably accompany the role of team principal, he replied: "In my free time, I engage in various silly activities: firstly, I fly helicopters, and secondly, I race in the GT3 category. The commonality between these activities is that your brain is completely occupied, and you can't think about anything else. This allows you to disconnect from everything else.

      As for the stresses, my job is genuinely intense, and there is plenty of it. But what is stress? It is when something happens that you cannot influence. Fortunately, in most cases, I can control what I have to deal with. The situation our team is currently in is unpleasant, but it is still not stress because everything is under control."