Vowles to race in Gulf 12 Hours after Abu Dhabi GP

Williams team principal James Vowles will race in the Gulf 12 Hours in the Garage 59 entry following next month F1 season finale in Abu Dhabi.

Vowles regularly gets behind the wheel himself, but has not raced competitively since 2022, when he also was part of Garage 59 in the Asian Le Mans Series. After taking over at Williams in early 2023, Vowles has spent more time focused on the F1 team principal role, but has been testing with Garage 59 throughout this year and will now race at Yas Marina Circuit on December 14.

Vowles will share a McLaren GT3 EVO with Alexander West, Mark Sansom and Marco Pulcini.

“The chance to put on a race helmet again is something I relish,” Vowles said. “Garage 59 is a team I know well from our time together in 2022, and the Gulf 12 Hours is a fantastic event with a competitive grid. It will be a pleasure to share the car with Alex, Mark and Marco, and to experience racing from the driver’s seat again.” 

For his racing return, Vowles will have a team principal of his own to deal with, but Andrew Kirkaldy said the Williams boss has a unique perspective on each race given his background with Mercedes.

“We thoroughly enjoyed working with James during the 2022 Asian Le Mans campaign,” Kirkaldy said. “His approach and professionalism, and of course his knowledge of strategy, made it a very enjoyable collaboration. Bringing him back for the Gulf 12 Hours is something we’re all excited about, and we’re looking forward to seeing what we can achieve together in Abu Dhabi.”

Vowles’ entry into the Gulf 12 Hours follows other recent F1 involvement in the race, after Kevin Magnussen teamed up with father Jan to compete in the 2022 edition at the same venue, finishing seventh overall.