Aston Martin's dramatic rise in 2023 gives Williams boss James Vowles "courage that we can do the same".

The Silverstone-based outfit started Formula 1's new era of regulations towards the back of the grid before a change in concept delivered big gains in the second half of the season.

This year, another big design overhaul has pushed Aston up to second best in the pecking order, with new driver Fernando Alonso claiming podiums in four of the first five races.

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And Vowles admits that rapid progress acts as inspiration as he seeks to lead Williams back towards the front.

“100 percent,” he said via Auto Motor und Sport. “This shows what is possible with the right structure. I think they made some clever moves to absorb knowledge from different directions.

“This team was a good team that is now being built to get into the top three. It gives me courage that we can do the same.”

Currently in F1, there is a belief that a team needs works support from a manufacturer if it wants to be successful, with Red Bull's switch to Honda power being the main example.

But the Vowles believes Aston Martin, who get the same gearbox and power unit as Williams from Mercedes, is proof that a customer team can still be competitive.

“In our sport, the gearbox has become very reliable. It does its job. So I’m not really worried about needing that level of independence,” he said.

“Aston Martin is proving that’s not the point.

“Mercedes provides high quality. You still need to be in control of where you’re going with your aero package, and in which direction you march. Mercedes provides us with a very good power unit.

“We have to invest our time in other areas: aerodynamics, driving dynamics and so on. We can do that.”

Vowles though is looking long-term with Williams' recovery plan, stating he would “rather throw this year away to have a good foundation for next year and I would also rather sacrifice 2024 to have even better bases for 2025.

"If you just throw yourself into the now, you stay there. I don’t want to be seventh, eighth or ninth with this team. I want to go further up. Achieving this requires radical and significant decisions. We do that.”