James Vowles to make racing return at Gulf 12 Hours
This comes three years after the Williams F1 boss last started a competitive race
James Vowles, Team Principal of Williams arrives in the Paddock
Photo by: Hector Vivas / Getty Images
Williams Formula 1 boss James Vowles will return to endurance racing when he contests the 2025 Gulf 12 Hours with Garage 59 on 14 December.
The 46-year-old last raced competitively in 2022 when he entered all four rounds of the Asian Le Mans Series with the Garage 59 squad, aboard its McLaren 720S GT3.
Vowles will race the Evo spec of that McLaren this December at Yas Marina Circuit, which comes just a week after the 2025 F1 season ends at the same Abu Dhabi venue.
He will drive alongside 2024 Pro-Am winner Alexander West, two-time International GT Open Pro-Am champion Marco Pulcini and that championship’s 2025 Am runner-up Mark Sansom.
Vowles said: “The chance to put on a race helmet again is something I relish. Garage 59 is a team I know well from our time together in 2022.
“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.”
#188 Garage 59 McLaren 720S GT3 EVO: Guilherme Oliveira, Shaun Balfe, Thomas Fleming, Jack Hawksworth
Photo by: Eric Le Galliot
Vowles joined Williams in 2023, meaning he was still the strategy director of Mercedes when he contested the Asian Le Mans Series, where he scored two points across the rounds in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
That added to saloon racing he had done in the United Kingdom back in 2015, while having also done show runs at events like Goodwood Festival of Speed – this year, he attempted the hillclimb in the 1992 F1 world-championship-winning Williams.
Garage 59’s team boss Andrew Kirkaldy said: “We thoroughly enjoyed working with James during the 2022 ALMS campaign.
“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.”
Garage 59 was founded in 2016 and has since competed across various championships like GT World Challenge Europe, Intercontinental GT Challenge, ALMS and British GT.
It specialises in running McLaren, Ferrari or Aston Martin GT cars, and for 2026 is set to enter GT World Challenge and the World Endurance Championship.
Share Or Save This Story
F1 Azerbaijan GP is on a Saturday in 2026, here's why
Charles Leclerc: Madrid qualifying to be "one of the most challenging" in F1 2026
The team orders debacle that made for a controversial Formula E title decider
Williams tipped for "huge step" forward at Azerbaijan GP with major upgrade
Carlos Sainz accuses Fernando Alonso of provoking a penalty "like always"
How Fernando Alonso scored ninth at Zandvoort - and how Alex Albon lost a similar payday
The NASCAR Trucks Chase is about The Big Three, but who else?
Andrea Stella: McLaren must help Oscar Piastri stop "thinking" about how to drive '26 F1 car
Gateway was a race of opportunity for drivers with several posting season-best results
Christian Rasmussen reunites with Era Motorsport for IMSA’s Indianapolis sprint round
F1 doesn't need to change its VSC rules despite Lando Norris' Spain loss
Why Lando Norris doesn’t buy George Russell’s driving style theory
How Kimi Antonelli is proving unbeatable, even when he's beaten
How Norris unfurled a surprising - and "unrepeatable" - Spanish GP pole lap
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments