During the off-season Vowles moved from a Mercedes team that won eight consecutive world championships to a squad that finished bottom in four of the past five seasons.
After years of under-investment, Williams' facilities were always going to pale compared to those of the Brackley squad. But Vowles has discovered some elements that are a world away from what is needed to compete at the front.
When asked by Autosport what the difference was between Williams and a top team like Mercedes, he said: "I think everything. There are not many, but some elements of the organisation are of a similar level to Mercedes.
"There are some elements that are 20 years out of date, which makes sense if you think through the history of this team.
"The investment it had was zero for around about 20 years, and then an investment firm came through.
"Fundamentally, we're in a situation where a lot of facilities were almost preserved from where they were 20 years ago.
"Composites is behind what I knew when I first came into the sport with a different team 20 years ago..."
Source: Autosport